(KSTU) — With a government shutdown and a new party taking over the House of Representatives, it would be nearly impossible for any newly elected official to get attention in Washington D.C. — unless they're Mitt Romney.
"There's not that many freshmen Senators that would get this much attention for an opinion piece," said Morgan Lyon Cotti, Associate Director of the Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University of Utah.
Utah's Senator-Elect penned an op-ed in the Washington Post that questioned the character of President Donald Trump and the President responded, first on Twitter and then in a press availability in the White House.
Romney doesn't take the oath of office until Thursday, but he dominated much of the conversation online and on cable news.
According to Cotti, Romney is uniquely positioned with the national stature of a former GOP Nominee for President and with unrivaled popularity in his home state.
"Now we know how he'll use his voice and we're curious to see how he'll use his vote in the Senate," Cotti said.