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SALT LAKE CITY — Mitt Romney said in a tweet Thursday he is finally making a long-awaited announcement Feb. 15 on running for the Senate seat held by retiring Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah.
"Looking forward to making an announcement on February 15th about the Utah Senate race," Romney tweeted Thursday afternoon, after avoiding the question of his intentions for nearly a month.
Hatch announced in early January he would not seek an eighth term in the Senate this year. Romney, who had been talked about as a candidate for much of the past year, was expected to announce soon after.
But even though Romney has been making speeches to groups in Utah, he has been unwilling to talk about the race until now. Even so, his tweet doesn't specifically spell out that he's a candidate.
Looking forward to making an announcement on February 15th about the Utah Senate race. https://t.co/OLXWZWREEK
— Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) February 1, 2018
Those close to Romney, however, have been clear that the 2012 GOP presidential nominee is running. Kem Gardner, a longtime friend, told KSL in January Romney was waiting to announce until he could put together his campaign.
Gardner said then Romney would publicly announce he was in the race "hopefully, before the end of the month."
Romney's website, mittromney.com, asks visitors to sign up to "Join Team Mitt."
It's likely not a coincidence that Feb. 15 falls during the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The Games begin Feb. 9 and go through Feb. 25.
Romney, who spent much of his professional life in Massachusetts, where he served as governor, is best known in Utah for turning around the scandal-tainted 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City.
Considered one of Utah's most popular politicians, Romney is scheduled to be the keynote speaker at the Utah County Republican Party's annual Lincoln Day Dinner on Feb. 16. Tickets start at $55 and go up to $750 for a table.
