“Governor Romney has the leadership qualities we need to bring real change to Washington,” Hatch said. “At a time of unprecedented challenges, we need to elect an innovative problem solver like Governor Romney.”

The senator, who like Romney is Mormon, cited Romney’s “vision” and his record as governor as additional reasons for his support.

“For more than 30 years, Senator Hatch has been a powerful and effective conservative voice in the United States Senate,” said Romney in a statement released by his campaign. “Senator Hatch is a leading authority on judicial matters and has worked to cut down the size of government and let hardworking Americans keep more of what they earn. I am honored to have him on my campaign.”