Romney wins Republican senate primary in Utah

Mitt and Ann Romney during a campaign stop in South Jordan, Utah. Photo / AP

Mitt Romney has won the Republican primary for a Utah Senate seat, setting him on the path to re-start his political career with a Senate seat left open by retiring Senate Orrin Hatch.

Romney secured the nomination against state lawmaker Mike Kennedy after fending off attacks on his one-time criticism of US President Donald Trump.

The former presidential candidate was the heavy favourite to win the race in Utah, where he moved after his failed 2012 presidential run and is a beloved adopted son.

Romney blasted Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign, though the two men have largely buried the hatchet, and Romney has accepted the President's endorsement.

He now faces Democratic Salt Lake County Councilwoman Jenny Wilson, though GOP candidates have a big upper hand in the conservative state.

Romney moved to Utah after his failed 2012 presidential run. He's known for turning around the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics after a bribery scandal and later becoming the first Mormon presidential nominee of a major political party.

It was there that he delivered a speech during the 2016 election calling then-candidate Trump a "phony" and a "fraud."

His tone has changed considerably since then, and this month he predicted that Trump would "solidly" win re-election in 2020.

-AP