Mitt Romney jumped to an early lead Tuesday in the race for U.S. Senate, claiming 49.6 percent of initial results in Salt Lake County compared to 46.4 percent for his Democratic opponent Jenny Wilson.
Wilson serves on the Salt Lake County council and is expected to have her best showing in the county. Romney is heavily favored to win the seat of retiring Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah.
At Romney’s campaign headquarters in Orem, cheers and applause erupted shortly after 8 p.m., when polls closed and national media outlets projected a win for the former Massachusetts governor and two-time presidential candidate.