Mitt Romney wins GOP primary in Utah Senate race

Former GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney holds his grandson Dane Romney, 2, while he and his wife, Ann, wave after addressing supporters at their campaign headquarters during an election night party today in Orem, Utah. SALT LAKE CITY>> Mitt Romney handily won the Republican primary for a Utah Senate seat today after toning down his criticism of Donald Trump as he looks to re-start his political career.

Mitt Romney takes on Utah lawmaker in US Senate primary Source: AP

Republican voters in the U.S. Senate primary in Utah were deciding Tuesday between Mitt Romney and a state lawmaker who kept him from getting the GOP nomination at the party's convention as the former presidential candidate looks to restart his political career. Romney has deflected attacks on his criticism of President Donald Trump during the 2016 campaign while saying his political track record would give Utah more clout in Washington.

Romney making final pitch ahead of Senate primary in Utah

Mitt Romney is flashing his familiar smile at city parks and backyards in Utah's mountains and suburbs this week, making his final pitch after being forced into a Republican Senate primary Tuesday against a conservative state lawmaker. His opponent has painted him as an outsider who can't get along with President Donald Trump, but Romney has quieted his once-strident criticism.

Senate Judiciary Chair Grassley calls for probe of James Comey’s ‘disturbing’ email practices

Investigators should probe whether former FBI Director James Comey discussed classified information using a personal email account, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley said Monday at a hearing on the Justice Department watchdog's bombshell report on the handling of the Hillary Clinton email probe. During the hearing, Horowitz revealed that the DOJ watchdog is already investigating Comey concerning his leaked memos documenting his interactions with President Trump , which critics charged may have contained classified information.

Sen. Orrin Hatch: LGBT youth deserve ‘unwavering love and support’

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, called the prevalence of suicide, especially among LGBT teens, "a serious problem that requires national attention" in a speech delivered on the Senate floor to commemorate Pride Month. "No one should ever feel less because of their gender identity or sexual orientation," Hatch said Wednesday, describing the bullying, discrimination and even estrangement experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth.

Abhorrent.’ Utah’s members of Congress say immigration reform is…

Washington a Utah's members of Congress say the stories of children being ripped away from their parents at the southern U.S. border shows there's dire need to pass immigration reform, though it's unclear a divided Washington would be able to accomplish it anytime soon. " It is against Utah values to put young children at risk by forcibly separating them from their families," said spokeswoman Katie Thompson.

Now a candidate, Romney appears to embrace Trump presidency Source: AP

With the sun setting over his shoulder, the former Republican presidential nominee and would-be senator tells his audience, gathered on the patio of a resort, that President Donald Trump will win a second term. Romney also says that annual $1 trillion deficits under Trump are "highly stimulative."

Not all lawmakers on candidate Mike Kennedy’s endorsement list actually back him

Two dozen current and former Utah Republican state lawmakers endorsed U.S. Senate candidate Mike Kennedy on Friday, according to his campaign. But at least one of them said he did no such thing, and another said she hadn't given permission.

Poll: Love-McAdams race may be too close to call

The 4th Congressional District race between Rep. Mia Love, R-Utah, and the Democratic nominee, Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams, is too close to call, a new poll shows. Love is ahead of McAdams by four points, 47 percent to 43 percent, in the UtahPolicy.com poll released Wednesday.

Utah inland port negotiations

Trading banter at a self-organized news conference - attended by a group of concerned west-side residents who weren't laughing - House Speaker Greg Hughes and Sen. Jim Dabakis on Tuesday unveiled a list of proposals they believe could break Utah inland port negotiations free from gridlock. It was the first that Salt Lake City officials and other state Democrats had heard of the private chats between the Draper Republican and the Salt Lake City Democrat - talks that Hughes said happened spontaneously in a parking lot after he and Dabakis butted heads over the inland port on a Sunday morning TV talk show.

Fact check: Romney criticized for assault-weapons ban

Mitt Romney's record on gun control came up this week during debate for a U.S. Senate seat in Utah , a conservative western state with strong support for the Second Amendment. Romney's opponent, Republican Utah state lawmaker Mike Kennedy, criticized him for signing an assault-weapons ban as governor of Massachusetts, a state that's long had tough gun laws.

American freed from Venezuelan jail returns home to Utah

Seam... A teacher who was shot while tackling and disarming a student at an Indiana school said Monday that his swift decisions "were the only acceptable actions" to save his seventh-grade classroom. . This May 29, 2016 photo provided by Christian Kahahawai shows Lyndsey Haraguchi-Nakayama planting huli, or taro seedlings at her farm in Hanalei, Kauai island, Hawaii.

The Latest: Utah man freed from Venezuelan jail returns home

In this image provided by the Holt family, Joshua Holt, his wife Thamara and her daughter Marian Leal, board a plane at the airport in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, May 26, 2018. Jailed in Venezuela on weapons charges nearly two years ago, Holt was released Saturday after a U.S. senator pressed for his freedom in a surprise meeting with President Nicolas Maduro.

Utah community prepares for welcoming party as Holt expected back Tuesday

While the day Josh Holt is expected to return home to this south Salt Lake County community was still a little up in the air Sunday, family, friends, neighbors and even strangers worked to ensure that whenever he does arrive, he'll be greeted with a visual reminder that he was never forgotten. A two-year ordeal for the Holt and his family came to an end this weekend, after the former LDS Church missionary and his wife were released early Saturday morning from a Venezuelan prison and flown to Washington, D.C. Holt and his wife, Thamy, were met by his parents, Laurie and Jason Holt, as well as Sen. Orrin Hatch and his wife, Elaine, and then were welcomed by President Donald Trump at the White House.

Senator, Trump say Utah man released from Venezuela jail

An American held in Venezuela for nearly two years on weapons charges has been released and is on his way home, with a pit stop at the White House. President Trump hailed the release on Twitter Saturday morning, saying Utah resident Josh Holt would land in Washington around 7 p.m. and be reunited with his family.

Primary, general election debate schedule announced

For the first time, the Utah Debate Commission is hosting three primary debates, including between U.S. Senate candidates Mitt Romney, a former GOP presidential nominee, and state Rep. Mike Kennedy, R-Alpine. The debate between the two contenders for the Republican nomination in the race to take the place of retiring Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, will be held May 29 at 6 p.m. at the KBYU Studios on the Brigham Young University campus in Provo.

Sen. Orrin Hatch eyes legacy with archive, think tank plans

In this Feb. 21, 2018, file photo, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, gestures to the Utah House during a visit at the Utah State Capitol, in Salt Lake City. Retiring Hatch is looking to cement his legacy after more than 40 years in Washington as he unveils plans for a think tank and library bearing his name in Salt Lake City.