John Curtis, Brent Hatch join race for Mitt Romney's U.S. Senate seat

Jan. 3 (UPI) -- Republican Rep. John Curtis of Utah announced Tuesday that he is jumping back into the packed race to replace retiring Sen. Mitt Romney, as Brent Hatch -- the son of the late Sen. Orrin Hatch -- also filed his candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat.

Curtis told KSL-TV in an interview on Tuesday that he wants to take his work on energy and climate from the U.S. House of Representatives to a bigger platform.

"I actually carry my seniority with me from the House to the Senate, so I won't start as number 100. I think that's very important for the state. I also bring that experience of how to pass legislation," Curtis said.

In September, Curtis teased a run for the Senate but four days later said he intended to run for his 3rd congressional district House seat again.

"The second I made the announcement that I was not going to run, I started to have people reach out to me asking me to reconsider," Curtis said. "The very people who had made that commitment to were a lot of those voices who said, 'you can actually serve us better in the Senate than you can in the House.' And so without that, I don't think I would have changed my mind."

Romney, 76, announced in September that he would not run for another term to clear the way for "a new generation of leaders."

On Tuesday, Brent Hatch filed his candidacy for Romney's Senate seat, which was previously held by his father, the late Sen. Orrin Hatch.

"I am not a professional politician. I left Washington at an early age. I have worked for over 33 years here in Utah as a lawyer protecting the rights of individuals and companies," Hatch said in a statement. "But I still have an insider's knowledge of the highest levels of government from serving Presidents Reagan and Bush in the White House, working with Congress and in the courts."

Hatch touted his work as an associate White House counsel to President George H.W. Bush and as a law clerk to Judge Robert H. Bork.

"We need to elect people who have had real jobs, had to make payrolls, and are not wed to lobbyists and the political class -- people who speak plainly and use common sense," Hatch added.

Hatch and Curtis join a growing list of candidates for Romney's seat, which include former Utah House speaker Brad Wilson, Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs and Freedom Front executive director Carolyn Phippen.