# Utah U.S. Senate race 2018 **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [February 16, 2018, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utah-u-s-senate-race-2018/808931 "2018-02-16T16:07:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utah-u-s-senate-race-2018/808931/1 "2018-02-16T16:07:05Z")
As expected, Mitt Romney, the 2012 GOP nominee for President, is jumping in: [https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/16/politics/mitt-romney-senate-utah/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/16/politics/mitt-romney-senate-utah/index.html) Is he a shoo-in or could this really be a race, either in the Republican primary or in the general? ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utah-u-s-senate-race-2018/808931/2 "2018-02-16T16:09:53Z")
So the thread is about Mitt Romney but for some reason his name isn’t in the thread title? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utah-u-s-senate-race-2018/808931/3 "2018-02-16T16:11:21Z")
He’s got name recognition and that’s more than enough for a not insignificant percentage of voters, possibly even a majority. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utah-u-s-senate-race-2018/808931/4 "2018-02-16T16:17:26Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > So the thread is about Mitt Romney but for some reason his name isn’t in the thread title? 😕 No, it’s about the race generally. He’s just the biggest factor and the best-known name in the race right now. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utah-u-s-senate-race-2018/808931/5 "2018-02-16T16:26:52Z")
Since when is Romney a Utahn? I know he’s a Latter-Day Saint, which gives him at least some connection, but has he lived there for any significant time before declaring his candidacy? Most states don’t take kindly to outsiders running in their elections, even if the outsiders do have some ties. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utah-u-s-senate-race-2018/808931/6 "2018-02-16T16:35:02Z")
There was a Supreme Court ruling that a state has to accept as an “inhabitant” anyone who has lived there for 30 days before the election. Some states, most notably New York, only require residence on Election Day itself. If you’re an inhabitant of that state, at least 30 years old, and a US citizen for at least 9 years, you’re eligible. Romney has homes in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Michigan, and California too, not just Utah, so he could run in any of those with minimal trouble. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utah-u-s-senate-race-2018/808931/7 "2018-02-16T16:43:31Z")
Barring something truly unexpected this’ll be Romney in a walk, regardless of residency issues. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utah-u-s-senate-race-2018/808931/8 "2018-02-16T16:44:07Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > He’s got name recognition and that’s more than enough for a not insignificant percentage of voters, possibly even a majority. It’s a little more than name recognition in this case. He’s pretty well-liked in the state. Looking at the other declared primary candidates, the only one I can see surprising Romney is Larry Meyers, who has apparently been pretty active in the Utah Republican party for quite a while. So he might be more formidable in their caucus style selection method than Romney expects. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utah-u-s-senate-race-2018/808931/9 "2018-02-16T16:46:59Z")
Assuming he still has a pulse in November, Romney wins handily. ---
**Author:** ![Falchion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a88e57/32.png) [@Falchion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Falchion)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utah-u-s-senate-race-2018/808931/10 "2018-02-16T16:48:59Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Since when is Romney a Utahn? I know he’s a Latter-Day Saint, which gives him at least some connection, but has he lived there for any significant time before declaring his candidacy? Most states don’t take kindly to outsiders running in their elections, even if the outsiders do have some ties. He, apparently, became a Utah resident in 2014. [Cite](http://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=58472930&itype=CMSID). ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utah-u-s-senate-race-2018/808931/11 "2018-02-16T18:10:57Z")
Has anyone ever been a governor of one state and a Representative or Senator of another? ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utah-u-s-senate-race-2018/808931/12 "2018-02-16T18:20:44Z")
I feel pretty safe in guessing that no one who was a governor would lower himself to run for congressman in another state. ---
**Author:** ![Falchion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a88e57/32.png) [@Falchion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Falchion)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utah-u-s-senate-race-2018/808931/13 "2018-02-16T18:36:03Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > Has anyone ever been a governor of one state and a Representative or Senator of another? Sam Houston? ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utah-u-s-senate-race-2018/808931/14 "2018-02-16T18:40:01Z")
Houston was Governor of both Tennessee and Texas, with President of Texas in between. Daniel Webster was a Congressman from New Hampshire before he was a Congressman and then Senator from Massachusetts. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utah-u-s-senate-race-2018/808931/15 "2018-02-16T18:40:12Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **ElvisL1ves** : > > There was a Supreme Court ruling that a state has to accept as an “inhabitant” anyone who has lived there for 30 days before the election. Some states, most notably New York, only require residence on Election Day itself. If you’re an inhabitant of that state, at least 30 years old, and a US citizen for at least 9 years, you’re eligible. Romney has homes in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Michigan, and California too, not just Utah, so he could run in any of those with minimal trouble. Oh, sure, he’s legally allowed to run. I was just questioning what the voters would think of him. But if he’s been in the state for the past four years, that’s a lot different from just moving in a month before the primaries. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utah-u-s-senate-race-2018/808931/16 "2018-02-16T18:40:47Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > Barring something truly unexpected this’ll be Romney in a walk, regardless of residency issues. I agree, but I think he might have to actually get out and campaign and spend money. Not quite a “walk” but maybe a light jog. 😛 It will also be interesting to see if he asks for and gets Trump support. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utah-u-s-senate-race-2018/808931/17 "2018-02-16T18:47:00Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I agree, but I think he might have to actually get out and campaign and spend money. Not quite a “walk” but maybe a light jog. 😛 > > It will also be interesting to see if he asks for and gets Trump support. If I were a Utah Republican running for Senate, I wouldn’t touch Trump with a ten-foot pole. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utah-u-s-senate-race-2018/808931/18 "2018-02-16T18:47:31Z")
Doubt it, even without considering the humiliation Trump subjected him to. If Romney needs help, he’s in too much trouble to win, for one thing. For another, Trump’s support just might not be helpful, even in Utah. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utah-u-s-senate-race-2018/808931/19 "2018-02-16T18:59:46Z")
I’d prefer someone other than Romney, but I think he’s unlikely to lose. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utah-u-s-senate-race-2018/808931/20 "2018-02-16T20:42:53Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Doubt it, even without considering the humiliation Trump subjected him to. If Romney needs help, he’s in too much trouble to win, for one thing. For another, Trump’s support just might not be helpful, even in Utah. “Even in Utah”? Utah is the state where the independent took 20% of the vote running as a never-Trumpist. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utah-u-s-senate-race-2018/808931.md?page=2)