Hatch, 83, announced his retirement Tuesday. It came just over a week after Trump signed the GOP tax plan that Hatch helped to craft into law.
In a statement Tuesday, Romney thanked Hatch for his service to Utah but did not address whether he would run for the Senate seat.
Trump had urged Hatch to remain in the Senate, and it is unclear if he would support Romney. On Tuesday, the White House would not commit to Trump backing the eventual Republican candidate for Hatch’s seat.
Romney eviscerated Trump in a speech before last year’s presidential election and also harshly criticized the president’s response to violence at a white nationalist rally in Virginia earlier this year.
— CNBC’s Larry Kudlow contributed reporting.