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(Tribune file photo) Sen. Orrin Hatch with Bob Dole in 1988. (Tribune file photo) Sen. Orrin Hatch in 1990. October 30, 1982 Sen. Orring Hatch & Pres. Ronald Reagan The Salt Lake Tribune Library (Tribune file photo) Muhammad Ali and Sen Orrin Hatch in 1988. (Trent Nelson | Tribune file photo) Senators Bob Bennett and Orrin Hatch in 1998. (Tribune file photo) Ronald Reagan and Orrin Hatch in 1976. (Tribune file photo) Orrin Hatch in 1976. (Tribune File Photo) Orrin Hatch, Nov. 20, 1977. (Steve Griffin | Tribune file photo) US senator Orrin Hatch and challenger Pete Ashdown shake hands following a televised d... (Photo Courtesy of U.S. Senate Historical Office) Sen Orrin Hatch and his wife Elaine pose for a photo at a reception for new... (Tribune file photo) Sen. Orrin Hatch and Pres. Ronald Reagan in 1982. Republican presidential hopeful Orrin Hatch, foreground, smiles as his wife, Elaine, shown seated next to Hatch, and others f... (Andr Chung | special to The Salt Lake Tribune) Senator Orrin Hatch is the senior senator from Utah, Chairman of the Senat... Senate Judiciary Committee member, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, uses a cellphone camera as Chief Justice nominee John Roberts te... Senator Orrin Hatch, left talks to Forest Service Chief Stan Tixier about trying to get the Snowbasin landswap reversed, duri... Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, left, greets Attorney General Janet Reno on Capitol Hill Wednes... (Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch speaks during a Memorial Day celebration at Hogan Park in Woo... (Andr Chung | special to The Salt Lake Tribune) Followed by his security staff Sen. Hatch makes his way to a luncheon in W... (Andr Chung | special to The Salt Lake Tribune) Flanked by his security staff on the left and Matt Whitlock, his communica... Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune Senator Orrin Hatch speaks to the Utah delegation at a breakfast honoring him (Omelets... (Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune) Senator Orrin Hatch is interviewed on a local Salt Lake TV news program at the G... President Bush waves to the crowd during a fundraiser for the reelection campaign of Sen Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, right, on Thurs... President Reagan appears at a fundraiser for Sen. Orrin G. Hatch, R-Utah, Wednesday night in Washington. Reagan urged Utah's ... (Photo Courtesy of U.S. Senate Historical Office) Vice President Normal Rockefeller administers the oath of office to Sen. Or... (Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune) Sen. Orrin Hatch walks across the stage during a debate against Scott Howell at the ... (Chris Detrick | Tribune file photo) Senator Orrin Hatch, left, talks with Dave Hansen back stage before Hatch's speech be... (Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune) U. S. Senator Orrin Hatch was given an honorary degree during the undergraduate cere... (Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) U.S. President Donald Trump is joined by Senator Orrin Hatch at the Utah Cap... (Tribune file photo) Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, talks to reporters during a press conference in Washington Thursday. Hatch bri... Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, right, talks to Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt on Capitol Hill Tuesday April 29, 1997 prior to their testif... Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky gathers other Republican senators to call for an amendment to the Consti... Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan, President Barack Obama's choice to replace retiring Justice John Paul Stevens, meets with ... Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, talks about the subpoena issued to President Clinton du... (Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), a member and former Chairman of the Senate ... Judge Samuel Alito, right, meets with Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2005, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. Pre... U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, talks to the media as Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., left, watches during a break in the Senate imp... U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Ut., left, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, speaks during a news conference with U.S. Sen... (Al Hartmann | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Senator Orrin Hatch with Utah Governor Gary Herbert, left, speaks at the opening... Bill co-sponsors Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., listen as President Barack Obama speaks before s... (Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) U.S. President Donald Trump takes the stage at the Utah Capitol on Monday, De... (Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, cent... Sen. Diane Feinstein, D-Calif., left, shares a laugh with Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah., second from right, during a news confere... (Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) U.S. President Donald Trump, surrounded by Utah representatives looks at Sen.... Orrin Hatch, U.S. Senator from Utah, speaks at a news conference on the State Children's Health Insurance Program, known as S...</s>WASHINGTON – Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, will retire from the Senate at the end of this term, he announced Tuesday, a decision that will bring a decades-long congressional career to an end early next year.

“After much prayer and discussion with family and friends, I’ve decided to retire at the end of this term,” Hatch, 83, said in a video posted on Twitter. Hatch is the president pro tempore of the Senate, as well as the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.

Hatch’s retirement means an open seat race in his Republican-leaning state in this year’s midterm election. Some Republicans expect Mitt Romney to run for Hatch’s seat, although the former presidential nominee has not made any definitive public statements about his plans.

As the top lawmaker on the Senate Finance Committee, Hatch played a key role in passing the tax bill that President Donald Trump signed into law late last month.

“When the President visited Utah last month, he said I was a fighter. I’ve always been a fighter. I was an amateur boxer in my youth, and I brought that fighting spirit with me to Washington. But every good fighter knows when to hang up the gloves. And for me, that time is soon approaching,” Hatch said in a statement.

“That’s why, after much prayer and discussion with family and friends, I’ve decided to retire at the end of this term. Although I will miss serving you in the Senate, I look forward to spending more time with family, especially my sweet wife, Elaine, whose unwavering love and support made all of this possible.”

For months, Hatch’s political future has been on the minds of Republican strategists and officials, many of whom have expected him to step down.

Hatch was first elected to the Senate in 1976. He is finishing up his seventh term in the upper chamber of Congress this year.

As president pro tempore, Hatch is currently in the presidential line of succession behind Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin.

Follow the Bangor Daily News on Facebook for the latest Maine news.</s>Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah announced Tuesday that he will retire in January 2019 at the end of his current term. Hatch is the longest-serving Republican in the Senate.

“Every good fighter knows when to hang up the gloves,” said Hatch in a short video released Tuesday. “I may be leaving the Senate, but the next chapter in my public service is just beginning.”

Hatch, who first took the seat in 1977, is worth an estimated $4.96 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, making him worth 81 percent more than the average senator.

Hatch’s retirement opens up a path for former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney to run for the seat. Romney, a Mormon, is popular in Utah where he is now a resident. More than half of all Utahans identify as Mormon.

Hatch, 83, helped write a sweeping tax bill last month that was signed into law just before Christmas as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. Hatch also took credit for specifically writing a provision in the tax bill that could potentially enrich fellow Republican Senators.

President Donald Trump has publicly encouraged Hatch to run for an eighth term. Hatch had emerged as a vocal proponent of the president, and Romney who has indicated interest in running for the seat, has been an outspoken critic of Trump.

Hatch came to the decision after consulting with his family during the holidays, but he also faces tough poll numbers that indicated last fall that 75 percent of the electorate didn’t want him to run again, according to the New York Times.

Senate was Hatch’s first and only publicly elected position — in his first run he promised term limits and blasted his opponent for holding the seat for 18 years. Before running for Senate, Hatch practiced law in Utah and Pennsylvania. Hatch attended the Pittsburgh School of Law and received his J.D. in 1962. Hatch was also an amateur boxer in his youth.</s>Utah Senator Orrin Hatch, the second-longest serving U.S. senator, plans to retire at the end of his current term. In a video shared via his twitter feed, the 83-year-old Republican announced today his plan to leave the Senate after more than 40 years. Senator Hatch is the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, his announcement comes after the Republican tax plan he helped to create was signed into law.

[…] “When the president visited Utah last month, he said I was a fighter. I’ve always been a fighter. I was an amateur boxer in my youth, and I brought that fighting spirit with me to Washington. But every good fighter knows when to hang up the gloves. And for me, that time is soon approaching. That’s why, after much prayer and discussion with family and friends, I’ve decided to retire at the end of this term. Although I will miss serving you in the Senate, I look forward to spending more time with family, especially my sweet wife Elaine, whose unwavering love and support made all of this possible.”

2018 was looking to be a difficult year for Senator Hatch as he was caught between his newly espoused loyalty to President Trump and his life-long relationship with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.</s>Orrin Hatch has announced he will retire at the end of 2018, leaving his position in the Senate open. The 83-year-old is the longest serving Republican senator in Congress.</s>After shepherding a major tax cut package through the Congress, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) announced on Tuesday that he would not run for re-election in November, possibly opening a path for former GOP Presidential nominee Mitt Romney to run for Senate from his home state.

“I’ve decided to retire at the end of this term,” Hatch said in a message to Utah voters. “I’m deeply grateful for the privilege you’ve given me to serve as your Senator for these last four decades.”

Hatch’s decision came despite public efforts by President Donald Trump to convince the most senior Republican Senator to try to win election for an eighth term in office; Hatch was first elected back in 1976, in part because he said the incumbent Senator had served too long in Washington.

"What do you call a Senator who’s served in office for 18 years? You call him home,” Hatch argued, at a time when Sen. Frank Moss (D-UT) had been in office for three terms.

Hatch is now in his seventh term. Here was his video announcement from today:

“Sen. Hatch has been a tremendous servant to the people of Utah and he will be sorely missed,” said Hatch’s colleague, Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT).

There was no immediate indication from Romney, who is a Utah resident, whether he would run for Hatch’s seat. In a statement issued on Facebook, the one-time GOP nominee for President praised Hatch’s service, but did not discuss a run for Senate in 2018.

Hatch is the third Republican Senator to decide against re-election; the other two were GOP lawmakers who had emerged as doubters of the President, Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) and Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN).

The first day back to work in 2018 not only brought Hatch’s decision not to run for re-election, but also a retirement announcement from Rep. Bill Shuster (R-PA), the Chairman of the House Transportation Committee.

At this point, 21 House members have announced they will retire at the end of this Congress, while 18 others are running for another office.

With Shuster’s announcement today, that brings the House turnover to 39 total – 9 percent of the House. That number will only grow, as more retirements are anticipated in coming weeks, and some lawmakers are likely to lose in November as well.

While many people believe that turnover is often low in the Congress, the House has been going through a period of double digit change for a number of years – every election cycle since 2004, turnover has been over 10 percent, peaking at 22 percent in the Tea Party wave of 2010.

At this point in the House, 14 Democrats won’t be returning in 2019 for the 116th Congress, along with 25 Republicans.

Back in the Senate, Hatch is the second most senior member of that body right now; only Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) has served longer. Leahy was first elected in the post-Watergate election of 1974.</s>WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah said Tuesday he will not seek re-election after serving more than 40 years in the Senate, opening the door for former GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney to run for his seat.

Hatch, 83, said he’s always been a fighter, “but every good fighter knows when to hang up the gloves.”

Hatch is the longest-serving Republican in the Senate. He chairs the powerful Senate Finance Committee and was a major force in getting a tax overhaul through Congress and signed into law in December.

He also played a key role in persuading President Donald Trump to sign proclamations scaling back two sprawling national monuments in Utah that Hatch and other conservatives considered examples of government overreach.

In a statement, Hatch said he decided to retire at the end of his seventh term after “much prayer and discussion with family and friends” over the holiday break.

“I may be leaving the Senate, but the next chapter in my public service is just beginning,” Hatch said.

Romney, the former Massachusetts governor who now lives in Utah, has been eyeing a Senate run, but Trump had encouraged Hatch to seek re-election.

Romney thanked Hatch in a statement on Facebook and said Hatch “has represented the interests of Utah with distinction and honor.”

Romney’s statement did not mention his own plans.

Trump had been open in recent months about pressuring Hatch to stay in the Senate, particularly as Romney’s ambition for the seat became apparent. Trump’s private lobbying campaign was bolstered by a public love-fest, as Trump invited Hatch with him on Air Force One in December as he shrunk the boundaries of the two Utah monuments.

Trump called Hatch “a fighter” and “a special friend of mine,” and thanked Hatch for his vocal support when “it wasn’t exactly the easiest thing to do.”

Romney has a far more tortured relationship with the president, having been a vocal critic of Trump’s during the 2016 campaign, including delivering a broadside address in March 2016 condemning Trump. But after the election, Romney submitted himself as a candidate to be secretary of state in an excruciatingly public interview process.

Since Trump has moved into the White House, Romney has been a frequent detractor, particularly after Trump equivocated on condemning white supremacists in Charlottesville last summer.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Tuesday she had not discussed Romney’s potential candidacy with Trump and could not say whether the president would support him.

Amid earlier speculation about Hatch’s plans, the Utah senator stepped up to defend Romney, a fellow Mormon. Last month Hatch lashed out at former White House adviser Steve Bannon for his attack on Romney and the Mormon Church.

At a rally for Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore, Bannon called Romney, the GOP’s 2012 presidential nominee, a draft dodger who “hid behind” his religion. Romney received a draft deferment for missionary work in France during Vietnam.

Hatch called Bannon’s attack “disappointing and unjustified” and said Romney “has sought every opportunity” to serve the country.

Hatch denounced attacks on Mormons “and the selfless service of missionary work.” Hatch said he’d be happy to explain his church to Bannon, adding, “I’ve got a copy of the Book of Mormon with his name on it.”

Late last year, Hatch also found himself in a heated debate with Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio after Brown said Republican tax cuts were aimed at helping the rich. The dispute occurred as Republicans pushed a near $1.5 trillion, 10-year tax cut for businesses and individuals through the Senate Finance Committee over Democrats’ objections.

Brown, a liberal firebrand, said people know Republicans want to help the rich because it’s “in their DNA.”

Hatch told Brown he’d heard enough, adding that he’s helped disadvantaged people “my whole stinking career.”

As the two senators talked over each other, Hatch said he was tired of Democrats’ “bull crap.”

In the statement announcing his decision to retire, Hatch cited work with the disadvantaged among his accomplishments, including helping create the Americans with Disabilities Act, expanding children’s health insurance and expanding use of generic drugs.

Hatch also served as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and was at the center of many of the biggest confirmation battles. During his time on the committee, the Senate has confirmed nearly 1,900 federal judges, a majority of all federal judges that have served.

In 2000, Hatch dabbled in presidential politics himself. He sought the Republican nomination for president, saying he had more experience in Washington than his opponents and insisting he could work with Democrats. Hatch readily acknowledged that winning would be a long shot. He withdrew from the race after only winning 1 percent of the vote in the Iowa caucuses and then endorsed George W. Bush.

Hatch frequently wrote religious songs and recorded music in his spare time as a way to relax from the stresses of life in Washington. Hatch earned about $39,000 in royalties from his songs in 2005. One of his songs, “Unspoken,” went platinum after appearing on “WOW Hits 2005,” a compilation of Christian pop music.</s>WASHINGTON - Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah says he will not seek re-election after serving more than 40 years in the U.S. Senate.

Hatch, 83, says he's always been a fighter, "but every good fighter knows when to hang up the gloves."

Hatch is the longest-serving Republican in the Senate. He chairs the powerful Senate Finance Committee and was a major force in getting a tax overhaul through in December. His retirement opens the door for Republican Mitt Romney to run for his seat.

Hatch says he decided to retire at the end of his seventh term after "much prayer and discussion with family and friends" over the holiday break.

He says "I may be leaving the Senate, but the next chapter in my public service is just beginning."

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>Orrin Hatch has been a GOP senator for more than four decades — and apparently, he’s had enough:

There you have it.</s>WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Utah Senator Orrin G. Hatch, the longest-serving Senate Republican, announced Tuesday that he will not run for re-election seeking a record eighth term.



83-year-old Hatch, who is seen as a Trump loyalist, is rebuffing the President's personal plea to run again for another six-year term.



Hatch's decision marks another setback for Trump, as it paves the way for a political comeback of former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, reports say. A vocal critic of Trump, Romney is seen as a potential GOP candidate in Utah. He stands a good chance to win the seat in his home state, which is heavily populated by his fellow Mormons.



Romney thanked Hatch for his more than forty years of service to Utah and the United States. 'As Chairman of the Senate Finance and Judiciary Committees and as the longest-serving Republican Senator in U.S. history, Senator Hatch has represented the interests of Utah with distinction and honor,' he sad in a statement. 



Ever since the people of Utah elected him to the US Senate in 1976, Hatch authored more bills that have become law than any other member of Congress. 



He wrote the Hatch-Waxman Act, which helped create the modern generic drug industry. He worked tirelessly to pass the Disabilities Act and created the Children's Health Insurance Program, or CHIP. He also worked to pass the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, a law that guarantees religious protections for all Americans. And last month, he led Senate passage of a historic overhaul of the nation's tax code.



Hatch made it clear that his decision to retire at the end of this year does not mean his political career is over.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch announces that he will retire in January 2019.