2018 United States Senate election in Utah

The 2018 United States Senate election in Utah took place on November 6, 2018, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Utah, concurrently with other elections to the United States Senate, elections to the United States House of Representatives, and various state and local elections. The primaries took place on June 26.[1]

2018 United States Senate election in Utah
November 6, 2018
Turnout74.15%
 
Nominee Mitt Romney Jenny Wilson
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 665,215 328,541
Percentage 62.6% 30.9%
County Results

Romney:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

Wilson:      40–50%      50–60%
U.S. senator before election

Orrin Hatch
Republican

 Elected U.S. Senator

Mitt Romney
Republican

Elections in Utah
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Mayoral elections

Incumbent Republican senator Orrin Hatch announced in January 2018 that he would retire and not be seek reelection to an eighth term. The general election was won by Mitt Romney, who had been the Republican nominee for president in 2012 and previously was the 70th Governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007. Romney became only the third person in American history to be elected governor and U.S. senator in different states, and the first former major party presidential nominee to run for a new office since Walter Mondale in 2002.[2] At 71, he additionally became the oldest person ever elected to their first term as a U.S. senator.[3]

Background

Process

Utah's 2018 U.S. Senate candidates had dual routes toward placement on the primary election ballot: (1) eligibility via win or second-place showings at a convention of delegates selected from party local caucuses; and/or (2) eligibility via obtaining sufficient petition signatures.

Taking the traditional route, the top two candidates for the U.S. Senate at any of the party state conventions (to be held this year the latter part of April) will be placed on the June 26 primary election ballot. Also, any candidate who collects 28,000 ballot-access petition signatures will be placed on the primary ballot.

If no competitor will have achieved the above-mentioned alternate access to the primary ballot through collected signatures and a convention winner had achieved sixty-percent of delegate votes, this candidate straightaway receives his or her party's nomination solely via the older-style caucuses-convention system. Otherwise, a candidate will be nominated through receiving a plurality of votes in the primary election and thereby advance to the November general election.

Incumbent Orrin Hatch did not seek reelection.[4]

Hatch to retire

Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch was reelected to a seventh term in 2012. During his 2012 reelection campaign, Hatch had pledged that if he were elected that it would be his last term.[5] Hatch won his first election in 1976 in part by criticizing the incumbent's 18-year tenure. Hatch initially announced a re-election campaign on March 9, 2017,[6][7][8][9] though he also said at that time that he might withdraw from the race if Mitt Romney decided to run.[10] An August 19–21, 2016, poll conducted by Public Policy Polling found only 19% of voters wanted Hatch to run in 2018, while 71% wanted him to retire.[11] On October 27, 2017, Hatch reportedly told friends privately that he was going to retire in 2019[12] and on January 2, 2018, made a public announcement of his plans to retire at the end of his current term in January 2019.[4]

Republican primary
Romney campaigning
Kennedy campaigning
People voting in the Republican primary

Nominee

Eliminated in the primary election

Eliminated at Convention
  • Loy Brunson
  • Alicia Colvin[15]
  • Stoney Fonua, tax accountant[15]
  • Chris Forbush, attorney and candidate for the Nevada State Assembly in 2016[16]
  • Jeremy Friedbaum[15]
  • Timothy Adrian Jimenez, engineer[17]
  • Joshua Lee
  • Larry Michael Meyers, attorney[18]
  • Gayle Painter[15]
  • Samuel Parker[15]

Declined

Endorsements
Larry Meyers (eliminated at convention)
Notable individuals

Results
State Republican Convention results, 2018
Candidate First ballot Pct. Second ballot Pct.
Mike Kennedy 1,354 40.69% 1,642 50.88%
Mitt Romney 1,539 46.24% 1,585 49.12%
Loy Brunson 4 0.12% Eliminated
Alicia Colvin 29 0.87% Eliminated
Stoney Fonua 7 0.21% Eliminated
Chris Forbush 0 0% Eliminated
Timothy Jiminez 100 3.01% Eliminated
Joshua Lee 2 0.06% Eliminated
Larry Meyers 163 4.90% Eliminated
Gayle Painter 0 0% Eliminated
Samuel Parker 122 3.67% Eliminated
Total 3,328 100.00% 3,227 100.00%
Declared

Debates
Host
network		 Date Link(s) Participants
Mitt
Romney		 Mike
Kennedy
KBYU-TV May 29, 2018 [27] Invited Invited

Polling
Poll source Date(s)
administered		 Sample
size		 Margin
of error		 Mike
Kennedy		 Mitt
Romney		 Undecided
Dan Jones & Associates June 11–18, 2018 356 ± 5.2% 23% 65% 12%
Dan Jones & Associates May 15–25, 2018 295 ± 5.7% 24% 67% 9%

Endorsements
Mitt Romney
U.S. Presidents
U.S. Senators
U.S. Representatives
U.S. Governors
Individuals
Statewide Officeholders
Individuals
Newspapers and Magazines
Mike Kennedy
State Legislators
Individuals

Results
Results by county:
Republican primary results[55]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Mitt Romney 240,021 71.27%
Republican Mike Kennedy 96,771 28.73%
Total votes 336,792 100%

Democratic primary

Declared

Eliminated at Convention
  • Mitchell Kent Vice, businessman[57]

Withdrew

Declined

Endorsements
Jenny Wilson
U.S. Representatives
Statewide & Local Politicians
Individuals
Mitchell Vice
Organizations

Libertarian Party

Declared
  • Craig Bowden, veteran and businessman[67]

Constitution Party

Declared

Independent American Party

Declared

General election

Candidates
  • Ryan Daniel Jackson (I, write-in)
  • Abe Korb (I, write-in)[68]
  • Caleb Dan Reeve (I, write-in)[68]

Debates

Predictions
Source Ranking As of
The Cook Political Report[70] Safe R September 29, 2017
Inside Elections[71] Safe R September 29, 2017
Sabato's Crystal Ball[72] Safe R September 27, 2017
Fox News[73] Likely R July 9, 2018
CNN[74] Safe R July 12, 2018
RealClearPolitics[75] Safe R February 16, 2018

^Highest rating given

Endorsements
Mitt Romney (R)
U.S. Presidents
U.S. Senators
U.S. Representatives
U.S. Governors
Statewide Officeholders
State Legislators
Individuals
Newspapers and Magazines
Jenny Wilson (D)
U.S. Representatives
Statewide & Local Politicians
Individuals
Labor unions
Organizations

Polling
Poll source Date(s)
administered		 Sample
size		 Margin
of error		 Mitt
Romney (R)		 Jenny
Wilson (D)		 Other Undecided
University of Utah October 3–9, 2018 607 ± 4.0% 59% 23% 8% 10%
Dan Jones & Associates August 22–31, 2018 809 ± 3.4% 55% 29% 8%[80] 7%
Lighthouse Research August 11–27, 2018 2,400 – 59% 19% 9%[81] 14%
University of Utah June 11–18, 2018 654 ± 3.9% 58% 20% – 21%
Dan Jones & Associates January 15–18, 2018 803 ± 3.5% 64% 19% – 12%
Dan Jones & Associates November 16–21, 2017 600 ± 4.0% 72% 21% – 7%
Dan Jones & Associates August 30 – September 5, 2017[note 1] 608 ± 4.0% 64% 26% – 10%

Notes
  1. The party affiliations of candidates were not described in the question wording as a result of an oversight by the pollster.

Results
United States Senate general election in Utah, 2018[82]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Mitt Romney 665,215 62.59% -2.72%
Democratic Jenny Wilson 328,541 30.91% +0.93%
Constitution Tim Aalders 28,774 2.71% -0.46%
Libertarian Craig Bowden 27,607 2.60% N/A
Independent American Reed McCandless 12,708 1.20% N/A
Write-in 52 <0.01% N/A
Total votes 1,062,897 100% N/A
Republican hold

References
  1. Wood, Benjamin (June 26, 2018). "Mitt Romney claims GOP nomination in Utah's U.S. Senate race". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  2. "3 decades of presidential losers: Where are they now?". theweek.com. 2012-12-26. Retrieved 2020-09-27.
  3. Mitt Romney Could Become Oldest Popularly Elected Freshman Senator. NY Mag. 7 April 2017.
  4. Martin, Jonathan (January 2, 2018). "Orrin Hatch to Retire from Senate, Opening Path for Mitt Romney". The New York Times. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  5. Lederman, Josh (March 14, 2012). "Hatch will retire in 2018 if he wins reelection". The Hill. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  6. Romboy, Dennis (November 6, 2014). "Sen. Orrin Hatch leaves door ajar for run in 2018". Deseret News. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  7. Rolly, Paul (September 23, 2016). "When Hatch said he wouldn't run again, he was just kidding". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  8. Everett, Burgess; Palmer, Anna (October 19, 2016). "Hatch may reverse himself and run in 2018". Politico. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  9. Raju, Manu (March 9, 2017). "First on CNN: After lobbying from Trump, Orrin Hatch plans to run again". CNN. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
  10. Prignano, Christina (March 31, 2017). "Utah Senator says he may forgo '18 run if Mitt Romney runs for his seat". The Boston Globe. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
  11. Jensen, Tom (August 24, 2016). "Utah Ready for Hatch to Move On; More Progressive Than You Might Think". Public Policy Polling. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  12. Linskey, Annie (October 27, 2017). "A Hatch retirement — and a Romney Senate run — could be inching closer to reality". The Boston Globe. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  13. "Mitt Romney is officially running for U.S. Senate".
  14. McKenzie Stauffer; Heidi Hatch (June 26, 2018). "Mitt Romney wins against Mike Kennedy, Rep. Curtis defeats Herrod for second time". KUTV.com. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  15. Cathcart, Preston (March 14, 2018). "Candidates file for congressional, Utah legislative races". Deseret News. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
  16. "Op-ed: It's time to invite Sen. Orrin Hatch to come home". DeseretNews.com. 2017-08-07. Retrieved 2017-08-22.
  17. "Tooelean wants to capture U.S. Senate seat". Retrieved 2018-02-11.
  18. "St. George attorney announces run for GOP US Senate nomination". StGeorgeUtah.com. January 6, 2018. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  19. Bowman, Bridget (April 28, 2017). "Rob Bishop Discounts Prospect of Senate Run". Roll Call. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  20. Viebeck, Elise (April 19, 2017). "Chaffetz will leave behind Oversight panel he used to investigate Obama White House". Washington Post. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  21. Samuels, Brett (20 November 2017). "Prominent conservative passes on Utah Senate bid". The Hill.
  22. Rogin, Josh (November 8, 2016). "What is Evan McMullin's endgame?". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
  23. "Mia Love on Twitter".
  24. Burr, Thomas; Canham, Matt (November 16, 2016). "Sen. Orrin Hatch considers re-election run, Evan McMullin won't rule out his own bid". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
  25. Weaver, Jennifer (April 16, 2018). "Ammon Bundy endorses Meyers for U.S. Senate citing his support of limited government". KUTV. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  26. Romboy, Dennis (April 6, 2018). "Former GOP gubernatorial candidate endorses Larry Myers for U.S. Senate". Deseret News. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
  27. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=41&v=plTuGQSJ1oc
  28. "Romney falls short in Utah GOP convention, forced into primary for Senate seat".
  29. "Donald J. Trump on Twitter".
  30. "Jeff Flake wants Mitt Romney to run for U.S. Senate in Utah".
  31. "Lindsey Graham on Twitter".
  32. "ChuckGrassley on Twitter".
  33. Kaczynski, Andrew. "Sen. Orrin Hatch: Romney will 'have my support' if he runs for Senate". CNN.
  34. "John McCain on Twitter".
  35. "Mitch McConnell: "We're all behind" Mitt Romney".
  36. "Romney, favored in Senate bid, could take on outsized role". 18 February 2018.
  37. "Richard Shelby on Mitt Romney for U.S. Senate: 'I hope he will run - I would encourage him to run' - Yellowhammer News - Yellowhammer News". yellowhammernews.com.
  38. "Jason Chaffetz Makes Comical Defense of Romney's Utah Senate Run: 'He's Got a Utah Driver's License'". www.mediaite.com.
  39. "Paul Ryan on Twitter".
  40. Beavers, Olivia (15 January 2018). "Jeb Bush backs Romney for Utah Senate run".
  41. "Luis Fortuño on Twitter".
  42. "Utah Gov. Herbert says Romney should run for the Senate".
  43. "Spencer Cox on Twitter".
  44. "Jon Huntsman Sr. backs Mitt Romney for Senate, says he'd represent Utah 'very, very well'".
  45. McMullin, Evan. "Thank you for your service to our state and country, Senator Hatch. In this seat, we must have a leader prepared to meet the challenges of our day and our future. I hope that leader will be @MittRomney".
  46. Milbank, Dana (29 December 2017). "Opinion - Run, Mitt, run" – via www.washingtonpost.com.
  47. "Wall Street, big business start backing Mitt Romney's Senate bid as GOP establishment seeks stronger leadership in Congress".
  48. "Romney for Senate".
  49. "Tribune Editorial: Mitt Romney should be a savior for Republicans and run for Senate".
  50. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2018-02-20. Retrieved 2018-02-19.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  51. "Endorsements | Mike Kennedy for US Senate". www.kennedyforutah.com. Archived from the original on 18 June 2018. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  52. Romboy, Dennis (8 June 2018). "Not all lawmakers on candidate Mike Kennedy's endorsement list actually back him". DeseretNews.com. Archived from the original on 2019-10-05. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  53. Dr. Mike Kennedy. "ENDORSEMENT ALERT🚨Robert C. Oaks (Ret.) 4 Star General, USAF. Honorary Chairman for 2016 @realDonaldTrump campaign in Utah". Twitter.
  54. "Michael Johns on Twitter". Twitter.
  55. "United States Senate primary election in Utah, 2018" (PDF). Office of the Utah Lieutenant Governor. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
  56. Burr, Thomas (July 17, 2017). "SL County Councilwoman Wilson launches 2018 Senate bid, hoping to take on Orrin Hatch". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  57. Witham, Joseph (May 22, 2017). "Mitchell Vice joins 2 other Democrats vying for Hatch's Senate seat in 2018". St. George News. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  58. Tribune, Courtney Tanner The Salt Lake. "Navajo candidate announces bid as Democrat for Hatch's seat". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2017-05-17.
  59. Breiner, Andrew (June 21, 2017). "Navajo Candidate Drops Out of Race Against Hatch". Roll Call. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
  60. Schott, Bryan (April 12, 2017). "Another Democrat looking to knock off Hatch in 2018". Utah Policy. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
  61. "Thank You". Danny Drew For U.S. Senate. Archived from the original on October 4, 2017. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
  62. "Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams running for Congress | KSL.com". Retrieved 2017-10-19.
  63. Meng, Grace. ".@JennyWilsonUT is fighting to bring honest, fair, and results-focused leadership to Utah, and I can't wait to watch her ride the #BlueWave2018 to victory in November!".
  64. Escamilla, Luz. "Excited for @UtahDemocrats Caucus at Rose Park Elementary and proud to be a surrogate for our next US Senator @JennyWilsonUT".
  65. UT, Jenny Wilson for. "Thank you for your support, @IronStache! 2018 is going to be a great year".
  66. "Mitchell Vice for United States Senate – Every American Thriving by Reinventing Politics". votevice.com.
  67. Bernick, Bob. "Bishop Holds Vast Lead Over Clemens in Utah's 1st Congressional District". Utah Policy.
  68. "2018 Candidate Filings - Lieutenant Governor's Office: Elections". elections.utah.gov.
  69. "REED C."
  70. "2018 Senate Race Ratings". The Cook Political Report. Retrieved October 11, 2017.
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  73. "2018 Senate Power Rankings". Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  74. "Key Races: Senate". Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  75. "Battle for the Senate 2018". Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  76. Mike Kennedy [@KennedyForUtah] (27 June 2018). "As I told him last night, he will have my support and help" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  77. "Utah – Official UAW Endorsements". uawendorsements.org. United Automobile Workers.
  78. "Utah AFL-CIO Election Endorsements". utahaflcio.org.
  79. "Utah Stonewall Democrats - 2018 Primary Election Endorsements". www.utahstonewalldems.org.
  80. Tim Aalders (C) with 4%, Reed McCandless (IA) and Craig Bowden (L) with 2%
  81. Craig Bowden (L) and Reed McCandless (IA) with 3%, Tim Aalders (C) with 2%, other with 1%
  82. "United States Senate general election in Utah, 2018" (PDF). Office of the Utah Lieutenant Governor. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
Official campaign websites
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