On Wednesday, Utah’s Republican Senator, Mitt Romney, announced that he will not seek reelection in 2024. This decision has set the stage for a competitive race in a state where Republicans hold a strong advantage and where a crowded field of candidates is anticipated.
Romney, a former presidential nominee and former Massachusetts governor, revealed his retirement plans through a video statement. At 76 years old, he expressed the belief that the nation is ready for a new generation of leaders to tackle the challenges that will shape the future. While not explicitly mentioning the ages of President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, both prominent figures in their parties’ 2024 presidential considerations, Romney criticized their responses, or lack thereof, to pressing issues such as the national debt and climate change.
In 2018, Romney easily secured election in deeply Republican Utah. However, his relationship with his own party became more strained as he emerged as one of the most prominent Republicans willing to break from the influence of Trump, who continues to wield significant influence within the GOP.
In 2020, Romney made history as the first senator from his own party to vote to convict a sitting president during an impeachment trial. He was the sole Republican senator to vote against Trump in his initial impeachment and one of seven to vote for conviction in the second trial. On both occasions, Trump was acquitted by the Senate.
Following his second impeachment vote, Romney faced dissent within the Utah Republican Party, with some members attempting to censure him. Throughout the 2022 midterm elections, his opponents even used the term “Mitt Romney Republican” as a pejorative on the campaign trail.
Nevertheless, Romney has remained generally popular in Utah, a state known for its conservative and civil conservatism-leaning wing of the Republican Party, which has resisted Trump’s unconventional style of politics. Utah is home to figures like the anti-Trump Lincoln Project, Republican Evan McMullin, who launched a longshot 2016 presidential bid, and Governor Spencer Cox, who has been critical of Trump and is also up for reelection in 2024.
The majority of Utah’s population adheres to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Romney, as one of the faith’s prominent members, has enjoyed support in the state for many years. His reputation was bolstered by his successful stewardship of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Utah, which overcame a bribery scandal to become a global showcase for Salt Lake City.
Romney, a former private equity executive who served as Massachusetts governor from 2003 to 2007, relocated to Utah after his 2012 presidential defeat. During his White House bid, he grappled with the perception of being out of touch with ordinary Americans, a perception crystallized by his secretly recorded comments about the “47% of Americans” who did not pay income tax.
In 2016, Romney delivered a scathing speech in Utah condemning Trump as “a phony, a fraud,” and unfit for the presidency. However, after Trump’s election victory, he considered serving as the secretary of state in Trump’s administration, although Rex Tillerson was ultimately chosen for the role. Romney accepted Trump’s endorsement during the 2018 Senate primary race but also vowed to speak out against divisive, racist, sexist, anti-immigrant, dishonest, or institutionally destructive actions or statements made by the president.