Mitt Romney will head to a primary in the race for U.S. Senate from Utah after falling short of the threshold needed to win the nomination at the state Republican convention this weekend.
Romney had hoped to win 60 percent of the delegate votes to win the nomination, but 51 percent backed state Rep. Mike Kennedy instead, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. Romney won 49 percent of the vote.
The 2012 Republican presidential nominee and former Massachusetts governor is considered the favorite to succeed retiring Sen. Orrin G. Hatch.
The Tribune reported that Romney blamed the results on discontent with his decision to also gather signatures to secure a spot on the primary ballot. Conservatives have opposed the signature process since it diminishes the influence of the convention. Romney was the only Republican Senate candidate to gather enough signatures to qualify for the primary.
A dozen candidates faced off at the convention, and after two rounds of voting Kennedy and Romney were the only two left.
The primary is June 26.
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