Mitt Romney wins Senate primary

OREM, Utah – “Well it looks like our team won the primary,” Mitt Romney said to a cheering crowd at his primary election headquarters in Orem.

The Associated Press declared Romney’s victory just 24 minutes after the polls closed in Utah.

As of 11:45 p.m., Romney had received about 72 percent of votes, according to Utah’s election results website.

With family members behind him, Mitt Romney addressed his supporters emphasizing his campaign slogan to bring Utah values to Washington. He explained them as the values our country was founded upon. He listed examples, such as having certain rights, believing that state government makes better choices than federal government, and welcoming immigrants and refugees who come here legally.

While there was no direct mention of President Trump, some of his points undeniable mirrored issues in our country’s current narrative.

He said after the 2016 election, he spent time thinking of the word ‘great.’ He said he believes that means America needs to be not just strong, but also good.

“So if I’m lucky enough to become U.S. Senator in the great state of Utah, I will do everything in my power to keep America strong, to make sure our economy is prosperous for our kids and our grandkids, and also to make sure that the example I set as a leader is consistent with the great values of our state and the great founding values of the United States of America. Thank you so much for your help,” he said.

Critics of Romney have questioned his potential working relationship with the President after public disagreements between the two.

Romney’s opponent Mike Kennedy conceded about an hour after Romney’s victory speech.

“I just talked to Governor Romney and he had a chance to visit with me for a few moments, and I’ve conceded this race and I’ve wished him well. I wished him well on multiple levels. I wished him well in representing the good people of Utah. I wished him well in winning our November election, which I believe we should all unite behind him to move forward to win this election in November to make sure we have a good Republican representative in our U.S. Senate,” he said to a crowd of his supporters.

Romney said he looks forward to the next step of this campaign and he wished his Democratic challenger Jenny Wilson well.

In a press release, Wilson said, “I congratulate Mitt Romney and look forward to an issue based debate going forward. There are real differences between me and Mitt Romney and if we want to change Congress we need to elect a new generation of leaders who know their states and put citizens first.”

Romney thanked supporters and Senator Orrin Hatch for his service to our country and for fighting conservative battles in D.C.

“I’m going to do my best to keep those battles and those fights going forward,” said Romney.

Related: Salt Lake County election officials pleased with primary turnout