Is Sen. Orrin Hatch the next Utah Republican in trouble--with Republicans?

 
As the Salt Lake Tribune put it, there was a time in Utah politics when Republican officeholders could view their first election as a lifetime appointment. Not anymore.

First, members of the state GOP meeting Saturday declined to let Sen. Robert F. Bennett seek a fourth term. Now a poll in the Salt Lake Tribune suggests trouble for his longtime Senate partner and fellow Republican, Orrin G. Hatch. He’s not up for reelection, and perhaps that’s a good thing.

The poll, which the paper reported Tuesday, found that 51% of respondents said they would elect someone other than Hatch if he were up for reelection this year. The poll found that 35% would support him. The rest were undecided.

The poll of 400 likely voters was conducted April 26-28 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points. Follow this link to the Tribune’s report.

As for Bennett, on Tuesday he left open the possibility that he might run as a write-in candidate.

-- Steve Padilla

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Photo: Orrin G. Hatch. Credit: Associated Press.

Comments

[mark clemons]

isn't this guy owned by the health industry?

[Laurel Jane]

He just committed political suicide by supporting the Ground Zero mosque and saying that the Muslims have a great religion. Great? What's so great about the Quran's 109 verses that call for all Muslims to destroy and annihilate the infidels--Christians and Jews. I hope one so naive and disrespectful of the lost lives of 9/11 gets ousted and the sooner the better--too bad it's not this Nov. I don't trust him to look out for America's safety and best interests. Go, get out, resign, retire, along with all others who don't read what they are talking about--whether it's the bills they vote for or the religion they support in spite of how detrimental it is to our society!

[Rganrab]

HOPE SO!

[Bretticus]

Wow, I just learned of Combating Online Infringements and Counterfeits Act that Hatch co-sponsored. As a Utahn (who often votes Republican but considers himself independent,) this is the last straw. I'm really sick of this guy being in the back pocket of the RIAA and MPAA that seek to regulate the Internet for their own personal gain at the expense of everyone else. I'm relieved he's retiring. If he were still running, I'd do everything I could to campaign against him!