After shepherding a major tax cut package through the Congress, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) announced on Tuesday that he would not run for re-election in November, possibly opening a path for former GOP Presidential nominee Mitt Romney to run for Senate from his home state.
Hatch’s decision came despite public efforts by President Donald Trump to convince the most senior Republican Senator to try to win election for an eighth term in office; Hatch was first elected back in 1976, in part because he said the incumbent Senator had served too long in Washington.
“What do you call a Senator who’s served in office for 18 years? You call him home,” Hatch argued, at a time when Sen. Frank Moss (D-UT) had been in office for three terms.
Hatch is now in his seventh term.
Hatch is the third Republican Senator to decide against re-election; the other two were GOP lawmakers who had emerged as doubters of the President, Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) and Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN).
The first day back to work in 2018 not only brought Hatch’s decision not to run for re-election, but also a retirement announcement from Rep. Bill Shuster (R-PA), the Chairman of the House Transportation Committee.
At this point, 21 House members have announced they will retire at the end of this Congress, while 18 others are running for another office.
That’s a turnover of 39 total – 9 percent of the House. That number will only grow, as more retirements are anticipated in coming weeks.