The one member of Utah’s congressional delegation not up for reelection Tuesday night was the state’s senior Senator Orrin Hatch.
Although his seat wasn’t at stake, Senator Hatch still had a lot riding on last night's elections. Congressional wins for Republicans across the country meant great news for the senator.
He’ll keep his position as president pro tempore of the Senate and his spot at the head of the Senate Finance Committee.
At Utah's GOP victory party on election night, Hatch also shared his excitement for Trump in the White House.
“I believe Donald Trump has won this election and it’s a miracle," said Hatch. "And it’s a miracle hopefully for the benefit of this country, because it needs change.”
Speaking earlier in the evening Hatch said he’s recently spent a lot of time campaigning on behalf of Trump. He’s now convinced that Trump is capable of bringing that kind of change to Washington.
“With Donald Trump as president we can turn this stinking mess around," said Hatch to cheers from the crowd.
Hatch called it “draining the swamp," and he intends to be a part of it. When asked if Trump will listen to him, Hatch said, "he'll have to."
"I’m chairman of the finance committee, that’s where all the money is," said Hatch. "And I’m not bragging about it but I do think that most people respect me on both sides of the aisle.”
Hatch admitted that his approach is different than Trump’s, but he said he’s confident that together they’ll make a good team.
