Mitt Romney formally announces run for Utah Senate seat

REUTERS/Mike Segar

Mitt Romney.

• Mitt Romney formally announced that he will run for Senate in Utah.
• The seat was vacated when longtime Sen. Orrin Hatch announced his retirement in January.

Former Massachusetts governor and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney officially announced a run for the US Senate seat in Utah on Friday.

Romney teased the announcement last week, but delayed the formal declaration from Wednesday due to the school shooting in Florida.

"I am running for United States Senate to serve the people of Utah and bring Utah's values to Washington," Romney tweeted along with a video.

The seat was vacated after longtime Sen. Orrin Hatch announced his retirement in January, setting off speculation that Romney could vie for the seat.

"Utah has a lot to teach the politicians in Washington. … Utah welcomes legal immigrants from around the world. Washington sends immigrants a message of exclusion. And on Utah's Capitol Hill, people treat one another with respect," Romney said in the video.

Interestingly, the head of Utah's Republican Party blasted Romney's run and compared it to Hillary Clinton running for Senate in New York.

"I think he's keeping out candidates that I think would be a better fit for Utah because, let's face it, Mitt Romney doesn't live here, his kids weren't born here, he doesn't shop here," Utah Republican Party chairman Rob Anderson told The Salt Lake Tribune.

Anderson later said he did not mean to "disparage" Romney.

Watch the announcement: