Some prominent Senate Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, say they want Sen. Orrin Hatch to run for an eighth term in 2018.
The Wall Street Journal says McConnell and others made their support for Hatch public on Wednesday morning.
“I have urged Orrin to run and I hope he does,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said in a statement through an aide on Wednesday.
Sen. Roger Wicker, the outgoing chairman of the Senate Republican’s political arm, said: “His effectiveness as a legislator is unparalleled — we turn to him when we need to get things done. He means so much to Republicans and the Senate, and I hope he will consider continuing to serve the people of Utah.”
“I’ve always appreciated how much Sen. Hatch has been able to do for not just Utah, but the entire Senate,” said Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio. “I can’t say enough good things about the hard work he did to ensure we could keep the Senate Republican majority and I’m hopeful he considers running again. The Senate needs him.”
Hatch previously vowed that this current term would be his last. Hatch is now reconsidering that pledge.
A number of other prominent Utah Republicans are considering a run for the Senate in 2018, most notably former Gov. Jon Huntsman, Jr. who acknowledged this week he’s weighing a run in two years.
