Michelle Quist: Holding on until the very last minute, Hatch is out. Who is in?

“The field is white already to harvest.”

— Doctrine and Covenants 4:4

The writing was on the wall.

With three-quarters of Utahns, and multiple media outlets, calling for Sen. Orrin Hatch to retire, Hatch magnanimously announced he would retire at the end of his current term. He would likely have faced an electoral embarrassment far bigger than the convention knockout Sen. Bob Bennett faced, because he would have gathered signatures, and would have lost in a primary.

Shrewd people go out strong.

Many Utahns likely wanted Hatch to retire due to his ardent promise that his last campaign would be his last, as well as his recent remarks regarding Alabama candidate Roy Moore and his fawning over President Donald Trump.

About Moore, Hatch defended Trump’s support of the candidate, who had been accused of sexually assaulting teenage girls, by saying that “many of the things he allegedly did were decades ago.” Of all the reprehensible things Hatch has said, that may be the most reprehensible.

But his offensive comments didn’t begin with excusing Moore’s predatory child molestation. Of American Indians and their knowledge of the national monument process, Hatch said, “The Indians, they don’t fully understand that a lot of the things that they currently take for granted on those lands, they won’t be able to do if it’s made clearly into a monument or a wilderness.”

Earlier last year, in a hearing about the repeal of Obamacare, Hatch had 20 disabled protestors hauled out of the committee room. Some had to be lifted from their wheelchairs and dragged out. Hatch said, “If you want a hearing, you better shut up.” Not quite the cordial invitation we should expect from senior statesmen.

And regarding President Trump, of course, Hatch said, “You’re one heck of a leader.” He then vowed, “We’re going to make this the greatest presidency that we’ve seen, not only in generations, but maybe ever.” Roll over, Presidents Washington and Lincoln. You have been replaced.

The Salt Lake Tribune’s editorial board made national news last week when it called on Hatch to retire. It was almost as if national outlets hadn’t been reading the Tribune’s editorial page for the past year. Regardless, Hatch finally took the not-so-subtle hint.

The Washington Post published an article about the fact that Hatch’s retirement meant that Trump would lose an ally. Less than insightful, Utah politicos have been calling for Hatch to retire for just that reason.

Hatch’s 41 years in the Senate prove that political careers can be lucrative. Despite not making much money as a talented litigator, he is now very rich, seemingly from having his money managed by business partners back home. But family and friends have become rich as well. Funny how that happens. Hatch’s 41 years in government, and his rise to an “unquenchable thirst for power,” is the quintessential politician’s story. As a lame duck, he has $4.7 million in his campaign fund and has a fundraiser scheduled for this weekend.

But when someone does the right thing, it is easier to forgive past transgressions. Some may be tempted to tell Hatch not to let the door hit him on the way out. But that wouldn’t be the charitable response.

Hatch did the right thing by announcing retirement. And he deserves credit for it. Thank you, Sen. Hatch. You have represented Utah well.

The question now, of course, is who will replace Hatch in the Senate. Mitt Romney is the default choice. He can finance himself and has a proven conservative track record. He would be a respectable and dignified voice in the Senate.

But I don’t think we should call the race just yet. Do we really want politicians to use the state’s Senate seat as a midterm stepping stone for ascension to the presidency?

Many are hoping that state Sen. Deidre Henderson, who ran for Congress in Utah’s Third District, will run for Senate. Dan Liljenquist, a former state senator and financial policy wonk who ran against Hatch last election, may also decide to jump in. And Rep. Chris Stewart and Rep. Mia Love have indicated an interest in running for the seat.

We will know by March 15 who will be running for the seat. As we saw last year, a lot can happen in two months in Utah politics.

But really, Gov. Romney, welcome to the Senate.

Michelle Quist is an editorial writer for the Salt Lake Tribune who was 1 year old when Orrin Hatch was sworn in as a United States senator.