This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
I'm so tired of hearing how important Sen. Orrin Hatch's seniority is. It's the only semi-legitimate argument he has left as to why we need to re-elect him again.
All I hear from Hatch's supporters is how important it is to have a senior member in the Senate. If that's the case, then let's take that logic, flip it on its head and look at the long-term picture.
If we have a wave of incoming freshmen senators over the next several years, as many experts project, then, given the importance of seniority, would it not be beneficial to Utah to have a newly elected senator on the front end of that wave as opposed to the back end? I cannot imagine that if Hatch were to win this time that he would run for an eighth term in six years, when he would be 84.
Based on the seniority argument, it would be more beneficial for Utah to elect a new senator in 2012 rather than 2018.
John Huntinghouse
West Valley City