Romney failed to win the nomination for the U. S. Senate seat in Utah at the state GOP convention.
WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah — Mitt Romney says he is looking forward to a primary campaign after failing to win the nomination for the U. S. Senate seat in Utah at the state GOP convention.
Romney said Saturday he expects to do well in the primary and the general election after coming in a close second to state lawmaker Mike Kennedy at the convention in West Valley City.
Voters will decide between the two in a June 26 primary. Romney previously secured his spot on the ballot by gathering signatures.
Romney went up against 11 other candidates at the convention, mostly political newcomers who questioned Romney’s criticism of President Trump and the depth of his ties to Utah.
Romney told reporters Saturday night that he hasn’t decided whether to support Trump for re-election.
He said he wants to see what the field of candidates looks like — and what all the candidates would do for Utah — before making any commitment.
Kennedy, a doctor and lawyer from Alpine, got big applause from the crowd as he railed against the national debt, Common Core education standards and Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.
Romney, 71, asked for delegates’ votes after spending two months on the campaign trail visiting dairy farms, taking selfies with college students and making stump speeches in small towns.
After his failed 2012 presidential campaign, he moved to Utah, where he is also known for his role in the 2002 Winter Olympics and for becoming the first Mormon presidential nominee of a major political party.
He’s worked to keep the focus on state issues rather than his history of well-documented feuds with Trump, whom he called a “con-man” and a phony during the 2016 race. Trump fired back that Romney “choked like a dog” during his own White House run.
But the two men have shown signs of making peace, and Romney has accepted Trump’s endorsement.
