When Mitt Romney announced his candidacy for a Senate seat in Utah in February and received an endorsement from President Trump shortly thereafter, many expected that the former governor of Massachusetts and 2012 presidential candidate would be sailing to a November victory.
And while a Romney win is still likely, the candidate will have another hurdle to jump through before the election.
During Saturday’s GOP convention in Utah, Romney faced 11 other candidates. After multiple rounds of caucus voting, Romney failed to get a majority of the votes from the delegates, meaning he will face State Representative Mike Kennedy in a primary on June 26.
Delegates preferred Kennedy to Romney, 51% to 49% respectively. Had either candidate received 60% of the vote, they would have clinched the nomination outright. Now, without having won a majority, Romney will have to win June’s primary to find a place on the ballot in November.
Thank you to all the delegates who hung in there with us all day at the Convention. I appreciate the support I received and look forward to the primary election.
— Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) April 22, 2018
Nevertheless, in a state that has had only Republican senators since 1977, should Romney win the June primary, he is nearly certain to win the seat.