Orrin Hatch (R-UT) Forced Into Primary Fight For Utah Senate Seat

[Tx4obama]

SANDY, Utah -- Utah Republicans denied U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch a clear path to a seventh and final term Saturday, forcing the 78-year-old lawmaker into a June primary with 37-year-old former state Sen. Dan Liljenquist. Hatch fell short of the nomination by fewer than 50 votes from the nearly 4,000 delegates at the party convention.

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This year, the two Democrats expected to vie for their party's nomination – Pete Ashdown and Scott Howell – have previously lost statewide races by wide margins to Hatch. No Democrat from Utah has been elected to the Senate since 1970.

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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/21/orrin-hatch-primary_n_1442979.html

Time for him to retire or even better yet get voted out of office, I'm hoping a democrat will win!

[MADem]

1. Wow, that's surprising. nt

[Drunken Irishman]

3. No...not really...

The same process killed Bennett because he couldn't get it to a primary in 2010. Bennett lost at the state convention because right-wing loons owned enough delegates to swamp him and force Mike Lee to the general, who then won handily.

Hatch has taken the exact opposite approach. While he'll face a primary, the Republican VOTERS (read, not delegates) are far more likely to vote for him over Liljenquist - just as the voters two years ago would have probably voted for Bennett over Lee had it gotten that far. It didn't. Hatch over performed Bennett by a wide margin and barely, just barely, came up short of the 60% needed to not force a primary. I'm sure Hatch would have loved to not be boxed into a primary, but it's one he should win easily.

[Drunken Irishman]

2. A Democrat is not going to win. The opponent Hatch will face in the primary is a far-right loon...

Even worse than Hatch. Hatch will win, though. So...

[Major Hogwash]

4. Hatch is history. Utah has gone into the Twilight Zone of conservativism hell.

Last edited Sat Apr 21, 2012, 08:38 PM - Edit history (1)

News flash ---- this just in --- Hatch is not considered conservative enough for the rightwingers in Utah!!!!

Liljenquist made a very good argument this week why it is time for Hatch to go -- he can't sell his soul to the debbil twice.

[BumRushDaShow]

5. Oops!

And almost all of the polling claimed that it might be close but he would have no problem with the delegate vote. Guess not.

But sadly if he can't make it through the primary, yet another intransigent teabagger will take his place.

[underpants]

6. LMFAO

love it.

[Joe Bacon]

7. He's getting what he deserves!

For 36 years, Whorrin' Orrin has stoked the fires of racism and encouraged the very nuts who will turn around and kick his worthless ass out of a job in the June primary. And it couldn't happen to a more deserving asshole!

[razorman]

10. Many in his own party agree with you, at least as far as

getting what he deserves. Conservative Repubs see him as a RINO, and want him ousted in the primary. On the other hand, he is too conservative for progressive voters. I believe his only hope lies in the power and connections he has amassed as an incumbent over the decades. That cannot be taken lightly.

[WI_DEM]

8. In a primary he will probably lose, but the dems will not win his seat anyway

it's solidly GOP no matter what.

[sofa king]

9. If he loses, he's my #1 pick for Romney's running-mate.

But I'm pretty sure he'll win the primary and he is probably too smart and powerful to allow the LDS to assign him to Romney's sinking ship.

I can't remember which conservative protection racket is shaking Hatch down. It's not the religious whackos, because one of those groups already owns Utah and Hatch. Is it Grover Norquist's tax goons? Or the Tea Party? Or Karl Rove's latest slush fund?

The Republican elephant is so ridden with parasites it's impossible to tell its trunk from an emerging tapeworm.