Orrin Hatch announces retirement, opening potential path to Senate for Mitt Romney

(Image credit: Screenshot/Twitter/Senator Hatch Office)

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) announced in a video Tuesday that he is retiring at the end of his term, putting an end to speculation over the future of the longest-serving Republican senator in American history. "When the president visited Utah last month, he said I was a fighter," Hatch said, adding: "But every good fighter knows when to hang up the gloves."

Hatch's retirement will also leave open his position as chair of the Senate Finance Committee.

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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.