Mitt Romney revealed Wednesday that when it came time to vote for president in 2016, he wrote in his wife Ann's name.

"I wrote in the name of a person who I admire deeply, who I think would be an excellent president," Romney told the editorial boards of Utah's Deseret News and KSL. "I realized it wasn't going to go anywhere, but nonetheless felt that I was putting in a very solid name."

The former GOP presidential nominee and current Utah Senate candidate had not previously stated publicly for whom he had voted in the 2016 presidential election.

Romney had said that he would not vote for President Trump or Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

Romney, a frequent critic of Trump during the then-candidate's 2016 campaign, was considered for a role in the Trump administration as secretary of State before being passed over for Rex Tillerson.

Trump has endorsed Romney in the race, but the candidate said last month that he was not ready to endorse the president for reelection in 2020.

The former presidential nominee said earlier this week that he doesn't view Trump "as a role model for my grandkids."

Romney hopes to fill retiring Sen. Orrin Hatch's (R-Utah) Senate seat. He faced a hiccup in that bid last month, when he failed to win enough votes to secure the GOP nomination for the seat at the state's GOP convention.

He will face off against state Rep. Mike Kennedy (R) in a primary next month.