E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
Colin E. Braley / AP
Senator Orrin Hatch, along with his wife Elaine, thanks his supporters after his primary win Tuesday night.
Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch accomplished Tuesday night what few other veteran Republican senators have done in recent years, managing to fend off a primary challenge from his right.
The Associated Press declared Hatch the projected winner of the Utah Republican Senate nomination, emerging victorious in the first primary the veteran senator had faced since first being elected in 1976.
Conservatives had targeted Hatch for defeat this cycle, throwing their support behind state Sen. Dan Liljenquist, who hoped the Tea Party wave that has caused heartburn for establishment Republicans would carry him to victory versus Hatch.
Beating Hatch would have marked a significant changing of the guard in Utah, one of the most deeply Republican states, where the GOP primary serves often as the de-facto general elections. Conservatives managed to deny longtime Utah Sen. Robert Bennett (R) renomination during the 2010 elections. Mike Lee rallied conservative activists to deny Bennett the GOP nod, and was subsequently elected to the Senate that fall.
Hatch had seemed to have learned the lessons of that campaign, working assiduously to secure his conservative flank and building a warchest to beat back a Tea Party challenge.
He tacked to the right in tone and on certain key votes, locking up endorsements from talk radio favorites and even former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who’s more often than not endorsed challengers to established Republican lawmakers than the incumbents themselves.
Hatch's re-election strategy offered a roadmap for entrenched Republicans looking to fend off a conservative challenge. The Utah senator's approach broke, for example, from that of Sen. Richard Lugar's. The Indiana senator had largely been defiant of Tea Party forces, and lost a primary to State Treasurer Richard Mourdock earlier this year. Both Hatch and Lugar took office in 1977.
The early and aggressive effort by Hatch included an attempt to scare off would-be challengers before they even entered the race. The senator was particularly public in taking on two-term Rep. Jason Chaffetz, who had been viewed as a potentially formidable challenger but ultimately declined to run for Senate.
A major trump card for Hatch, though, came in the form of Mitt Romney. Perhaps no endorsement for Hatch was more important than Romney’s, who is held in high esteem in Utah due to his own Mormon faith, as well as the work Romney had done in 2002 to turn around the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. Romney appeared with Hatch in Utah earlier this month to underscore his support for the longtime senator.
Leave a Comment:
Voters get what they deserve. Lifer politicians, who got us into our horrible situation, keep getting re-elected - Rangel and Hatch. We are our own worst enemies.
Agree... maybe it is time to consider term limits and other restrictions for elected representatives. They should be serving "We the People" not themselves.
"He tacked to the right..." If you know anything about sailing when you tack right you will also have to tack left in order to stay on a straight course. I came to Utah over 30 years ago and had an occasion to write to the Senator about a bill I favored. The letter I received was as wishy-washy as anyone could imagine. If the wind blows from the right he leans to the left so a not to make waves. Did anyone hear him try to fight against Sotomajor as a SC nominee? "There's no fool like and old fool." Utah missed its chance to get rid of him.
Utah still has a chance as this was only the primary. The Democratic challenger could still be elected....
Also -- Thank you for your service to our great country.
"Utah still has a chance as this was only the primary. The Democratic challenger could still be elected"
Now cut that out! You darned near made me spill my beer! I haven't laughed that hard in ages.
Hatch is a good man, but has been at it too long, we need term limits.
He won because the tolerance for the Tea Party is fading!
Good News!
The saddest thing about this (other than the picture above of what is representing my State - he sure looks full of new ideas to me . . but I digress . . . ) The saddest thing is that this was a primary election and he's already won the November election because it is Utah and well when was the last time we sent a Democrat to the Senate???? :( SAD
Dont worry Layton,the collective ideology that is gaining steam everyday will soon be coming to you soon. And then you can elect as many dems as you want untill the policys implemented result in the collapse of whatever buisness that prospers there,like they have in other liberal states.Good Luck.
@Rapco.....PUT THE TEA DOWN! slowly, put it down, YES YOU CAN!
But the effect was to calibrate his mind about 99% further to the far right, if possible....the repubs are turning the dial so far to the right they broke it off, logic and reason is beyond their hellbent racist ideology.
That statement only proves that the left broke the leftist dial off long ago Big Bill.Your extremeism is the norm for you liberals these days.
Watch and listen to someone with an education, Bill Maher and quit listening to uneducated college dropouts/failures Rush, Glenn, Sean and Karl - yes you repubs are run by lying sleazing nasty non-degreed turds, and you love it. Smart Americans need to clear you folks out and your billionaire nazi masters.
But..but... being stooopid is okay with Republicans, as long as you believe in Jeeezus and guns yew kin git elected.
Don't include Jesus in your remark, the NRA have already sold him out.
Senator Orrin Hatch is the Republican Senate Heckler. He's the one who grumbles and moans while Democrats are speaking to indicate his opposition to anything they say. Hatch is also one of the oldest racists still living. No doubt, the teagaggers found all that out, and decided they like to hear that kind of goof-ball, unprofessional, slobbering woof that Hatch offers.
The TEA party candidate never presented a road map for the future. What would the national debt look like? Would national defense have to b e cut in an age of auserity.
These career politicians are afraid to do the right thing because they may lose their jobs. "Career" and "Politician" should not be used in the same sentence. They should all be flushed out after a couple terms and NOT ALLOWED to run for a different office. But, that won't happen, they would never pass that kind of legislation.
hes a whore for the mormon church ,and the special interest groups he represents.hes a good example why we need term limits.........in both parties...and then just maybe we the citizens of this country can finially catch a break....romney vrs obama....isnt this a great fc%$##@% king choice.....
Saying that "conservatives" targeted Hatch is wrong. Neoconservatives were the ones doing the work to oust him in favor of their demon spawn, the Tea Party anarchists. The loudmouths of the modern neoconservative right have no idea what conservatism is. They're a bunch of selfish, anti-intellectual, anarchistic twits being led by monied charlatans using them to stave off any attempts at meaningful reform of our current oligarchy.
I'm a lifelong (since Eisenhower) Republican, Scoutmaster, and US Army retiree. I'm not some dingbat loony leftie hater of Republicans and conservatives. Tea Party, be afraid. Reasonable men like me are coming for you. We will throw you sick characters out of the Republican party along with the fundamentalist jackals ushered in during Reagan's rise. We will reclaim the party and return it to its rightful role of champion of individual rights, fostering sane governmental policy (including fair and reasonable taxes for all, not just those who can afford to dodge them), and an enlightened and engaged citizenry.
What does it take to wake you so called Republicians up? Mr. Romney is just waiting to see what foreign investor is ready to buy up more American jobs for cheap labor. His bankers are waiting to take over and double their money on Students loans, and they are ready to blame someone else for you Debt and your ignorance. Wake up and face the truth. The Tea Party has already sold you out and you seem to want more misery. It is sad that Misery wants company. You don't have any conscious, as long as it happens to the other guy. How many jobs have to be lost, how many excuses have to be made, until you wake up? Good God wake up, before the Republicians sale us all out.
Orrin Hatch is not far enough right for the Tea Party?????!!!!!
Who the hell are these people?
Wake up America and show these idiots the door.......it is crystal clear where the real threat to our country lies with the extreme right and their puppetmasters Karl Rove , Grover Norquist, Dick Armey and the Koch brothers.
Modern day political antics. It's going to get worst folks, way worst so help us God.
Truth is: Rightwingnut Republicans and their cousins, the teabaggers, don't trust each other. The "I can be more extreme than you" crowd don't like anyone even each other! It's a "no win" group!
There is no doubt that history will judge the Tea Party movement harshly.
I'm not waiting for the judgement of history. I judge them the modern Brownshirts here and now while they're still among us.
Let's be wise enough to see them for what they are and end their foolishness before we have to play out more of that tragic drama the originals had a part in.
is it too much to ask for the election result percentages? was it a squeeker? a landslide? when you have this kind of issue won or lost just isn't enough.
tea baggers +mormons+Conservatism= really really bad Tea
This is what it all comes down to for the radical right wing teanuts.
All braindead pathetic right wing radical cracked teanuts should listen to your leaders.
Rick the Dick Santarium has brainwashed his followers, the evangelical Children of the Corn zombies and the gay rapist, pedophile catholic priests that lyin Willardo is a member of an evil cult and is the anti-christ. He also told them that lyin Willardo is the worst person in history to ever run for the presidency, can't be trusted and will destroy our country. Groper Nutquist, the boss of the right wing cracked teanuts and Nut Gingerhead, trhe criminal lobbyist, totally agreed with the last three assessments.
So most of the evangelical sheep will probably stay home on election day or some may even vote for Obama. They are totally scared to death of lyin Willardo, the Mexican Mormon Moron tax evader, bankrupter and Etch A Sketch champion.
Orin Hatch is the poster boy for why we need term limits.
Don't you love it. Everyone complains about Washington. They want change and they blast career politicians.....then they vote for a 78 year old man who has been their Senator for 30+ years. Does that make sense?
No LInda. It doesn't. What do you think it means? I honestly don't know. Maybe we just feel comfortable with the past, or a name we know.
Are you suggesting that we need more tea baggers in Washington? If so, you may be intellectually challenged, and you condone one party rule. That is not very smart. Check and balance.
Way past time for term limits (2 max) on the House and Senate.
The Tea Baggers are a blight on our society. They are just a group of frightened, racist hicks who fear they are losing control of the country. Guess what, you are. America is changing and there is nothing they can do about it. This may be a good time to befriend those who will one day be the majority. Being a group of biased idiots just isn't cute, and it is detrimental to the state of our country.
This is a typical case of ...YOUR REP., NOT MINE!! The voters know he is bought and sold daily in govt. dealings, worries more about party ideology than PEOPLE and the idiots STILL put this creep back. He needs to understand his time has passed and for the good of the country, drop out, resign, and GET OUT.....along with a hell of a lot of others.
"survived" with 70% of the vote. Talk about a liberal rag
Just one thing: TERM LIMITS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!