Utah’s 3rd Congressional District representative Jason Chaffetz has done more than hint at a run for 6 term incumbent Orrin Hatch’s Senate seat in 2012. Days after Bob Bennett’s defeat at the Utah State Republican Convention, Chaffetz had this to say on Fox News, “”I respect everything that Sen. Hatch has done, but the question is whether 36 years in the U.S. Senate might be enough.”

Another question is, can Chaffetz win?

Representative Chaffetz has only grown in popularity since he knocked off 12 year incumbent Chris Cannon in the 2008 Republican primary (with nearly 60% of the vote). Chaffetz then cruised to victory in the general election with 66%. This year, Chaffetz won by an even bigger margin, with 72% voting for him.

It’s pretty clear: Jason Chaffetz is popular – but so is Orrin Hatch.

Senator Hatch hasn’t faced a primary opponent since he first ran for office in 1976. He was right when he said, “I’m no Bob Bennett,” because Hatch is more beloved in the eyes of Utahns. The man is a PR machine. People love him because he’s a genuinely nice guy, he meets with people and he listens to them. He just finished a tour of all 29 Utah counties, and he wasn’t even up for re-election this year. These are things that are going to make Hatch very tough to beat, but if anybody can beat Senator Hatch, it’s Jason Chaffetz.

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