By Jack Panek, Contributing Writer
The former presidential candidate Mitt Romney is back in the political arena and running for office.
Last week, Romney, former governor of Massachusetts, stated he would run for the United States Senate seat in Utah.
Romney first ran for office in 1994 after having a very successful business career. He ran against incumbent Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy, youngest brother of former President John. F Kennedy and former Senator Robert F. Kennedy. Ted Kennedy was seemingly unbeatable and had never lost an election in 22 years, at the time. Mitt Romney lost to Ted Kennedy 58 percent to 41, the smallest margin Ted Kennedy had ever won by.
Romney’s second-try campaign was much more successful. In 2002, after being asked by party leaders in the state and former President George W. Bush, Mitt Romney decided to run for governor.
Having popularity among crucial independent voters, Mitt Romney became the 70th Governor of Massachusetts. However, he only decided to serve one term and left the governorship with a surplus after eliminating the deep deficit that Massachusetts had. He also cut taxes 19 times and signed “Romneycare” into law which led to almost all of Massachusetts having health insurance.
Romney’s third campaign for office was in 2008 for the Republican nomination for president. He came in second place, losing to Arizona Senator John McCain. Four years later, he won the same nomination and became the Republican nominee in the 2012 election.
Romney represented a very lenient sector of the Republican party; he has no problem working across the political spectrum and compromising to get things done.
In the years after, Romney returned home and spent the 2014 midterms raising money, campaigning for Republican House and Senate candidates. Romney reemerged during the 2016 Republican Presidential primary, but not as a candidate. After Donald Trump became the clear front runner, Romney gave a speech in Utah bashing the candidacy of Donald Trump. He went after Trump’s multiple bankruptcies, his sexist language towards women and his kind words for Vladimir Putin. He called Trump a “phony” and a “fraud” and endorsed many Republican candidates running against Trump. This started a feud between Governor Romney and President Trump that still exists today.
Governor Romney has had no problem showing disagreement with the Trump presidency. He has become one of the leaders of the Anti-Trump republican faction along with Senators McCain and Jeff Flake and Governor John Kasich.
As an anti-Trump Republican, I believe Romney will be a powerful voice in the Senate and a check on Trump. Romney would have the floor of the United States Senate to call out President Trump on issues that Trump continues to ignore like Russia, school shootings and our national debt. Romney, already being considered for a leadership position, will be a real threat to the president’s agenda. Trump has attempted to cozy up to Romney by formally endorsing his candidacy for the senate. Almost every projection has Romney walking to an election day victory in November. Which means that the Romney-Trump feud will be moving to Washington D.C.
Photo courtesy of CNN.com
