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Mitt Romney sworn in as Utah’s newest senator amid shutdown, Trump criticism

Washington • Nearly a quarter century since he first unsuccessfully sought a Senate seat from Massachusetts, Mitt Romney was sworn in as Utah’s newest senator on Thursday promising to fight for conservative causes while also willing to criticize President Donald Trump when he believes it’s called for.

Romney, a former Massachusetts governor who lost to Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., in his first political bid in 1994, raised his right hand in the Senate chamber on Thursday to take the oath of office only days after writing a damning opinion piece hitting Trump for his lack of presidential character.