Orrin Hatch is reportedly openly planning to retire — setting up Mitt Romney's Senate run

Orrin Hatch.
(Image credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch (R) has apparently told his close allies that he is planning to retire at the end of his term in 2018, The Atlantic reports, setting up former Massachusetts governor and 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney to run for the 83-year-old senator's seat.

Rumors of Hatch's possible retirement and Romney's potential run have been swirling for months, with Hatch's spokesperson telling The Atlantic after this most recent report that "nothing has changed since The Atlantic published a carbon copy of this same story in April, likely with the same anonymous sources who were no more informed on the senator's thinking than they seem to be now."

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.