Politico reporter Alex Isenstadt wrote Sunday that Trump has been working behind the scenes to encourage the 83-year-old Hatch to seek another term. The effort is meant to both retain an ally in the Senate, Isenstadt reports, while blocking a potential critic from gaining the seat in the form of Mitt Romney, rumored to be eyeing a Senate campaign if Hatch retires in 2018.
If he chooses to run, Hatch will begin the election year on the heels of a pair of hard-fought victories. As chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Hatch was instrumental in developing the GOP tax bill that recently passed the Senate and appears likely to reach the president’s desk in some form.