McConnell wants Mitt Romney to run for Senate

WASHINGTON – Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says he has reached out to former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney about possibly running for the Senate – if a vacancy opens in Utah.

There has been much speculation about whether Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah will retire instead of running for re-election. The 83-year-old Hatch has fueled some of it.

Hatch says he hasn’t decided whether to run again. Last month, he told National Journal that if he could get Romney to run, he might step aside.

Hatch has been in office since 1977, making him the most senior Republican in the Senate.

McConnell says he would support Hatch if he wants to run again. And Romney has said he would only run with Hatch’s blessing.