Sen. Orrin Hatch has won his Republican primary in deep-red Utah, beating back tea party insurgent efforts that had felled his fellow Utah Senator Bob Bennett two years ago.
With six percent of precincts reporting — though including a significant number of early votes — Hatch has 69 percent, compared with 31 percent for former state Sen. Dan Liljenquist. Hatch was forced into a primary at the state Republican convention in April, when Liljenquist was able to keep him just under the 60 percent vote of delegates needed to win the nomination outright.
In 2010, Bob Bennett came in third place at the GOP convention, and was thus unable to even run in the primary. Hatch, however, mounted a strong effort of outreach to the party’s base over the past two years, as well as moving further to the right on a variety of issues. He has said that this will be his last term, and he will retire in 2018.
