Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — There are two kinds of politicians in Washington, according to Utah Sen. Mitt Romney: those who go there to make laws, and those who go there to make noise.
In weighing whether to run for reelection in 2024 or not, Romney wants to make sure he still has it in him to be productive for another six years, and said a decision on a possible campaign could come this fall.
"My decision will be based on whether I think I can get things done for the people of Utah," he told reporters Monday morning. "I don't go to Washington to make noise; I go to Washington to get things done."
He reiterated that timeline Monday afternoon, telling reporters, "We'll have an answer for you before the end of the year."
Romney spoke about the "frustrating" dynamic of partisan polarization in Washington during a panel hosted by the Sutherland Institute at the University of Utah's Hinckley Institute of Politics on Monday. The discussion covered a range of topics from artificial intelligence to the economic showdown between the U.S. and China, but unsurprisingly veered toward what he described as the "dysfunction" in Congress.
"It's really sad," he said. "Those who just go (to Congress) to make noise are getting to be a larger group. And they want to appeal to the base of their respective party and get them excited, to have them all yelling and angry. It's on both sides of the aisle. And so if you're elected as a senator or a congressperson, you go back and you just want to make noise. There's a big crowd that loves to hear the noise."
The Republican junior senator told the assembled crowd of students that the federal government is designed with checks and balances to encourage collaboration and compromise, but the system doesn't work when so many are unwilling to do just that.
"For something to become law requires reaching common ground, but the base of each party isn't interested in compromise or reaching common ground," he said. "And at a time when we face extraordinary challenges — AI, climate change, China and our debt, not to mention our social capital as a society. As we face these extraordinary challenges, to have our political system locked and making noise is a little frustrating."
My decision will be based on whether I think I can get things done for the people of Utah. I don't go to Washington to make noise; I go to Washington to get things done.
– Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah
That frustration will likely play a key role for Romney as he considers running again. As one of the most prominent voices within the GOP who has been willing to criticize the direction the party has taken under the leadership of former President Donald Trump, Romney has been a consistent target for the "Make America Great Again" base of the party.
He already faces a potential challenge from Utah House Speaker Brad Wilson, R-Kaysville, who opened an exploratory committee earlier this year. Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs is officially running and has made regular appearances on national right-wing media outlets like One America News Network, Newsmax and Breitbart as he casts himself as a "proven fighter and conservative" in opposition to Romney.
Romney filed initial paperwork with the Federal Election Commission earlier this year that will allow him to begin raising money for a potential campaign, but he said he hasn't reached a final decision.
A Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics poll in June found only 41% of Utah voters approve of Romney's performance, and 47% said he should run for reelection, compared to 51% who think he should not.
Trump indictments brought due to 'his own actions'
When asked about the recent string of indictments against Trump related to his alleged efforts to illegally overturn his 2020 election loss, Romney said it's no one's fault but the former president's — although he stressed that it will ultimately fall to a jury to determine if Trump's actions constitute a crime.
"Making a call to the (Georgia) secretary of state asking him to 'find' some votes, sorry, that's just not right," Romney said. "Whether that results in a crime is something which a jury will have to determine. And President Trump is entitled to the presumption of innocence. But did he bring this upon himself? Yes."
"Look, we're unfortunately subject to the consequences of our acts, and he's done some things that he can't be proud of that resulted in indictments," Romney continued. "I don't know if they'll reach a judicial conclusion that finds him guilty, but he could have avoided this very simply by following the same kind of ethics and path that has been followed by every presidential contender that I know of going back to (George) Washington."
Romney's response to the latest round of charges differs from comments made by Utah's other Republican senator, Mike Lee, who called it "the political weaponization of criminal law."
