Mitt Romney

Mitt Romney
Born	Willard Mitt Romney 12 3, 1947
Birthplace	Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Politician, businessman
Known for	2012 Republican presidential nominee; U.S. Senator from Utah; Governor of Massachusetts; co-founder of Bain Capital
Education	Brigham Young University (BA); Harvard University (JD, MBA)
Spouse(s)	Ann Davies (m. 1969)
Children	5
Awards	CEO of Salt Lake Organizing Committee for 2002 Winter Olympics

Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American businessman and retired politician who served as a United States Senator from Utah from 2019 to 2025 and as the 70th Governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007. A member of the Republican Party, Romney was the party's nominee in the 2012 presidential election, becoming the first member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) to head a major party's presidential ticket. Born into the prominent Romney family — his father, George W. Romney, served as Governor of Michigan and as a U.S. Cabinet secretary — Mitt Romney built a career in private equity before entering public life. He co-founded Bain Capital in 1984, which grew into one of the largest private equity firms in the United States. His rescue of the financially troubled Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the 2002 Winter Olympics propelled him into electoral politics, and as governor of Massachusetts he signed into law a landmark health care reform measure that provided near-universal insurance coverage in the state. After leaving the Senate in January 2025, Romney has continued to comment on matters of public policy, including a notable 2025 op-ed in The New York Times advocating for higher taxes on the wealthy.

Early Life

Willard Mitt Romney was born on March 12, 1947, in Detroit, Michigan, the youngest child of George W. Romney and Lenore Romney. His father was an automobile executive who served as chairman and president of American Motors Corporation before entering politics, eventually serving as Governor of Michigan from 1963 to 1969 and later as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President Richard Nixon. His mother, Lenore Romney, ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate from Michigan in 1970. The Romney family has deep roots in both the United States and Mexico; Mitt Romney's great-grandparents were members of a Mormon colony in Mexico, and he retains distant family connections there. The family also has Canadian roots, with ancestors having lived in Canada before migrating to the American West. Mexican cousins have maintained connections to the Romney family tree over the generations.

Romney grew up in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, an affluent suburb of Detroit. He attended Cranbrook Schools, a prestigious private institution. As a young man, he spent over two years in France as a missionary for the LDS Church, an experience that exposed him to a different culture and language. The mission proved formative; Romney has spoken publicly about its impact on his character and discipline. By 1971, he had participated in the political campaigns of both of his parents, gaining early exposure to the mechanics and demands of American electoral politics.

Throughout his adult life, Romney has been active in the LDS Church. He served as bishop of his ward in the Boston area and later as a stake president overseeing congregations in Boston and many surrounding suburbs. These leadership roles placed him in a position of significant pastoral and administrative responsibility within the church community.

Education

Romney enrolled at Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah, where he studied English. He graduated in 1971 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He then pursued graduate studies at Harvard University, where he enrolled in a joint JD–MBA program at Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School. He completed both degrees in 1975, graduating near the top of his class. The dual degree positioned Romney for a career at the intersection of law, business, and finance, and he soon entered the management consulting industry.

Career

Business Career: Bain & Company and Bain Capital

After completing his education at Harvard, Romney entered the management consulting field. In 1977, he joined Bain & Company, a prominent Boston-based management consulting firm. He rose quickly within the organization, and his work caught the attention of the firm's leadership. Romney eventually became Bain & Company's chief executive officer, a position in which he played a central role in guiding the firm through a period of financial crisis, helping to stabilize its operations and restore its financial footing.

In 1984, Romney co-founded Bain Capital, a private equity investment firm that was spun off from Bain & Company. Under his leadership, Bain Capital grew into one of the largest private equity firms in the United States. The firm invested in or acquired a number of well-known companies across various sectors. Romney's tenure at Bain Capital became a central element of his public identity, and the firm's record of investments — both its successes and its controversies — would later feature prominently in his political campaigns. Romney stepped down from his day-to-day role at Bain Capital in 1999 when he took on the leadership of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee.

Salt Lake Organizing Committee

In February 1999, Romney was recruited to serve as president and CEO of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the 2002 Winter Olympics, which was mired in a bribery scandal and facing significant financial shortfalls. His management of the Olympics is widely cited as a turning point in the event's fortunes. Romney implemented spending cuts, raised additional funds, and restored public confidence in the organizing effort. The 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City were ultimately considered a success, both financially and organizationally. Romney served in the role until August 2002. The experience provided Romney with a high-profile managerial accomplishment that he would leverage in his subsequent political career.

1994 U.S. Senate Campaign

Romney's first foray into electoral politics came in 1994, when he ran as the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate in Massachusetts, challenging the long-serving incumbent, Ted Kennedy. The race attracted national attention, as Kennedy initially appeared vulnerable. Romney ran a competitive campaign, but Kennedy ultimately prevailed. After the loss, Romney returned to Bain Capital and resumed his business career.

Governor of Massachusetts (2003–2007)

Following his successful stewardship of the 2002 Winter Olympics, Romney ran for governor of Massachusetts in 2002 and won. He took office on January 2, 2003, with Kerry Healey serving as his lieutenant governor. His predecessor was Jane Swift, who had served as acting governor.

As governor, Romney's most significant legislative achievement was the passage and signing of a comprehensive health care reform law, commonly referred to as "Romneycare." The law aimed to provide near-universal health insurance access to Massachusetts residents through a combination of state-level subsidies and individual mandates requiring residents to obtain insurance coverage. The Massachusetts health care law was later cited as a partial model for the Affordable Care Act (commonly known as "Obamacare") signed by President Barack Obama in 2010, a comparison that would prove politically complicated for Romney during his subsequent presidential campaigns.

Romney also addressed the state's fiscal challenges during his tenure, presiding over the elimination of a projected $1.2 billion to $1.5 billion budget deficit. He achieved this through a combination of spending cuts, increased fees, and the closing of corporate tax loopholes. Romney did not seek reelection in 2006, instead choosing to focus on his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination.

2008 Presidential Campaign

Romney launched his campaign for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, positioning himself as a conservative alternative within a crowded primary field. He won several early primary contests and caucuses, but ultimately lost the nomination to Senator John McCain of Arizona. Romney suspended his campaign in February 2008 after it became clear that McCain had secured a commanding lead in delegates. During the campaign, Romney faced scrutiny over his shifting positions on social issues and questions about the role his Mormon faith might play in the presidency.

Following the 2008 election, Romney remained a prominent figure within the Republican Party and was frequently mentioned as a potential candidate for the 2012 race. Polling among Republican insiders and in early primary states consistently placed him among the top contenders.

2012 Presidential Campaign

Romney entered the race for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination and, after a prolonged primary battle, secured the party's nomination. He became the first member of the LDS Church to be nominated for president by a major political party. His birth certificate, released during the campaign, confirmed his birth in Detroit, Michigan.

The general election campaign against incumbent President Barack Obama was closely contested. Romney focused his campaign on economic issues, emphasizing his private-sector experience at Bain Capital and his record of fiscal management as governor. However, he faced challenges from the Obama campaign's attacks on his business record and from his own rhetorical missteps, including a widely publicized comment at a private fundraiser in which he described 47 percent of Americans as dependent on government assistance. The Massachusetts health care law also became a point of contention, as critics within both parties drew parallels between "Romneycare" and the Affordable Care Act that Romney had pledged to repeal. Political advertisements during the campaign were at times sharply critical; Romney later reflected that some ads "suggested that some of my policy proposals, if enacted, would amount to pushing Grandma off a cliff."

Romney lost the general election to Obama, receiving fewer electoral votes and a smaller share of the popular vote.

U.S. Senator from Utah (2019–2025)

After reestablishing residency in Utah, Romney announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Senator Orrin Hatch. He won the Republican nomination and the general election in 2018, becoming the first person in modern American history to be elected governor of one state and U.S. senator from a different state — and only the third person overall to accomplish this distinction.

Romney took office on January 3, 2019, succeeding Hatch. During his single term in the Senate, Romney distinguished himself as one of the few Republican senators willing to publicly criticize or break with President Donald Trump. Most notably, during Trump's first impeachment trial in February 2020, Romney voted to convict on the charge of abuse of power, becoming the first senator in American history to vote to convict a president of his own party during an impeachment trial. He was the sole Republican to do so.

Following the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, Romney spoke on the Senate floor urging his colleagues not to object to the certification of the presidential election results. His remarks were among the more prominent calls within the Republican caucus for accepting the outcome of the 2020 election.

Romney also revealed in a 2025 interview that he had personally urged the Biden administration to preemptively pardon Donald Trump, a disclosure that illustrated his concern about the polarizing effects of criminal prosecutions of former presidents on American governance.

Romney chose not to seek reelection in 2024. He was succeeded by John Curtis on January 3, 2025.

Post-Senate Career

Following his departure from the Senate, Romney has remained active in public discourse. In October 2025, he reflected on his career, the future of the Republican Party, and government shutdowns during a public appearance at Southern Methodist University. In November 2025, he spoke at Wake Forest University's Face to Face Speaker Forum, where he discussed principled leadership and the responsibilities of younger generations. Drew University also announced Romney as the inaugural speaker for its Drew Forum series in July 2025.

In December 2025, Romney published an op-ed in The New York Times arguing for higher taxes on wealthy Americans, including himself. He wrote that the nation's fiscal situation required sacrifice from those who could most afford it. The op-ed attracted both praise and criticism. Jacobin noted the contrast between Romney's current advocacy and his earlier political positions, observing that the call came after he was no longer in a position to legislate on the matter. Romney followed up with an opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal defending his proposal under the headline "My Country Before My Tax Bill."

Personal Life

Romney married Ann Davies in 1969. The couple has five sons, including Tagg Romney, and the family has been a consistent presence in Romney's public life. Ann Romney has spoken publicly about her diagnosis with multiple sclerosis and her experience with breast cancer, and she campaigned actively alongside her husband during his presidential bids.

Romney has been a lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His faith has been a defining element of his personal identity and has at times been a subject of public discussion during his political campaigns. He served in significant lay leadership roles within the church, including as bishop of his ward in the Boston area and as a stake president overseeing congregations in Boston and its suburbs.

The Romney family is part of a broader political and business dynasty. In addition to his father's career as governor and cabinet secretary, and his mother's Senate candidacy, several members of the extended Romney family have been involved in business, civic life, and public affairs. The family's roots trace through Michigan, Utah, and back to early Mormon settlements in Mexico and Canada.

Recognition

Romney's rescue of the 2002 Winter Olympics is frequently cited as one of his most significant professional achievements. His leadership of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee transformed an event beset by scandal and financial difficulty into a successful and well-regarded international sporting event.

As governor of Massachusetts, the health care reform law he championed and signed became a landmark in American health policy. While the law's legacy became politically complicated for Romney during his presidential campaigns due to comparisons with the Affordable Care Act, it remains one of the most significant state-level health care reforms in American history.

Romney's vote to convict President Trump during the first impeachment trial in 2020 was a historic act — the first time a senator had voted to convict a president of his own party. The vote drew both admiration from those who viewed it as an act of conscience and sharp criticism from Trump supporters and many within the Republican base.

In the years following his retirement from the Senate, Romney has been recognized as an elder statesman within American political life. He has been invited to speak at universities and public forums across the country, including at Southern Methodist University, Wake Forest University, and Drew University, where he has addressed topics including governance, leadership, fiscal responsibility, and the future direction of the Republican Party.

Legacy

Romney's career spans the worlds of business, nonprofit management, and politics at both the state and national levels. His co-founding of Bain Capital helped shape the modern private equity industry, and his management of the 2002 Winter Olympics demonstrated an ability to lead complex organizations through crisis. As governor of Massachusetts, his health care reform law anticipated elements of the national debate that would culminate in the Affordable Care Act. As a presidential candidate, he represented a business-oriented, managerial approach to governance that reflected a particular tradition within the Republican Party.

In the Senate, Romney carved out a distinctive role as one of the few Republican officeholders willing to publicly challenge the direction of the party under Trump's influence. His impeachment vote and his post-January 6 remarks placed him in a small group of Republican senators who prioritized institutional norms over partisan loyalty in moments of constitutional significance.

Romney's nearly 30-year career in politics — spanning a Senate race in Massachusetts, the governorship, two presidential campaigns, and a Senate term from Utah — made him one of the most prominent Republican figures of the early 21st century. His post-retirement advocacy on fiscal policy, including his calls for higher taxes on the wealthy, has continued to generate public debate about the responsibilities of wealth in a democratic society.