Former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney is expected to announce on Thursday his candidacy for the U.S. Senate in Utah, according to a new report.
Sources close to Romney told NBC News that the former Massachusetts governor will make his announcement in a video message rather than a large-scale rally.
Romney had tweeted last week that he would make an announcement about a potential Senate bid on Feb. 15, this Thursday.
Looking forward to making an announcement on February 15th about the Utah Senate race. https://t.co/OLXWZWREEK
— Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) February 1, 2018
A link on Romney's website, mittromney.com, asks people to "Join Team Mitt."
Incumbent Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch (R.), the longest-serving Senate Republican, announced last month that he will retire at the end of his current term in January 2019. He would have been up for re-election in November.
Several reports have indicated that Romney, 70, would run for the Senate if Hatch retired.
"If Mitt decides to run, he knows he'll have my support," Hatch said last month.
If Romney, a practicing Mormon, does enter the Senate race, he will instantly become the frontrunner in Utah, a state with a large and influential Mormon population where he is very popular.
Romney is scheduled to headline the Utah County Republican Party Lincoln Day dinner on Friday.