Estimated read time: 8-9 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Sen. Mitt Romney announced Wednesday he won't seek reelection in 2024 but said he remains committed to Utahns through the duration of his term.
The announcement resolves months of speculation about whether the Utah Republican would run again, as several potential challengers have already expressed interest in unseating him.
Romney, 76, was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2018, and noted in a video statement Wednesday he would be in his mid-80s by the time a potential second term ended, saying, "It's time for a new generation of leaders."
"While I'm not running for reelection, I'm not retiring from the fight," Romney said. "I'll be your United States senator until January 2025. I will keep working on these and other issues and I will advance our state's numerous priorities. I look forward to working with you and with folks across our state and nation in that endeavor.
"It is a profound honor to serve Utah and the nation, and I thank you for giving me the opportunity to do so."
During a news conference on Capitol Hill on Wednesday afternoon, Romney said, "The times we're living in really demand the next generation to step up and express their point of view, and to make the decisions that will shape our American politics over the coming century."
"The baby boomers ... we're not the right ones to be making the decisions for tomorrow," he continued.
My message to Utahns on my Senate reelection plan: pic.twitter.com/kgbsfIxMeR
— Senator Mitt Romney (@SenatorRomney) September 13, 2023
The changing GOP
Romney has spent decades in public service, including earning the Republican nomination for president in 2012 and serving as the governor of Massachusetts.
He has remained one of the last vestiges of the Republican Party from before Donald Trump's takeover and has been critical of both Trump and Democratic President Joe Biden.
Romney was the only Republican senator to vote to convict Trump during his 2020 impeachment trial, which centered around the former president's efforts to have Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dig up dirt on Biden ahead of the 2020 presidential campaign.
He was one of seven Republicans to vote to convict Trump in the second impeachment trial in the weeks following the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol insurrection.
If there were no cost to doing what's right, there'd be no such thing as courage. … I think it's fair to say that the support I get in Utah is because people respect someone who does what they believe is right, even if they disagree with me.
–-Sen. Mitt Romney
In an interview with the Washington Post, Romney admitted the impeachment votes hurt him politically but said he was confident that he could have beaten primary challengers had he decided to run again.
"If there were no cost to doing what's right, there'd be no such thing as courage. … I think it's fair to say that the support I get in Utah is because people respect someone who does what they believe is right, even if they disagree with me," he told the Post.
In announcing his plan to not seek reelection, Romney noted neither Trump nor Biden is "leading their party to confront" the critical challenges facing the nation, which include a "mounting national debt, climate change and the ambitious authoritarians of Russia and China."
"On the deficits and debt, both men refuse to address entitlements even though they represent two-thirds of federal spending. Donald Trump calls global warming a hoax and President Biden offers feel-good solutions that will make no difference to the global climate," he said. "On China, President Biden underinvests in the military and President Trump underinvests in our alliances. Political motivations too often impede the solutions that these challenges demand. The next generation of leaders must take America to the next stage of global leadership."
For two years, I met with Mitt Romney in his DC townhome as he grappled with what his party—and his country—were becoming. The stories he told me from inside the Senate were extraordinary and damning.
— McKay Coppins (@mckaycoppins) September 13, 2023
ROMNEY: A RECKONING is out next month. First excerpt: https://t.co/khdW2iafq0
Although several candidates are running against Trump in the 2024 presidential primary, Romney told the Post that Trump appears to be in a strong position to secure the nomination and that he doubts his support for another candidate would move the needle.
He noted two of the most prominent non-Trump candidates, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, have fully embraced the "Make America Great Again" wing of the party.
"It's pretty clear that the party is inclined to a populist demagogue message," he said.
Trump celebrated Romney's announcement in an all-caps post to his Truth Social platform, calling it "FANTASTIC NEWS FOR AMERICA, THE GREAT STATE OF UTAH, & FOR THE REPUBLICAN PARTY."
"A very large portion of my party really doesn't believe in the Constitution," Romney told McKay Coppins for Coppins' forthcoming book, "Romney: A Reckoning," an excerpt of which was published Wednesday afternoon in the Atlantic.
He told reporters "there's no question" there's a dominant portion of the GOP that supports a "strong man" like Trump, but he said traditional conservatives like himself will remain an important segment of the party.
Romney's impact on the Senate
Romney reflected on his "particularly productive" last few years in the Senate, during which he helped negotiate a bipartisan infrastructure law, a compromise gun safety law and emergency COVID-19 funding.
"I was also able to help secure key Utah priorities, including funding for Hill Air Force Base and its program to modernize our nuclear deterrent, as well as funding for wildfire prevention, water infrastructure, rural broadband, removal of uranium tailings from Moab, expansion and restoration of our highway and transit infrastructure, and federal studies to save the Great Salt Lake," he said.
Several current and former politicians applauded Romney for his service.
"@SenatorRomney has served with distinction at the highest levels of government and we're incredibly grateful for his commitment to this country," Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said on X, formerly Twitter. "Our state and our nation have benefited from his principled leadership and patriotism."
"I want to thank Sen. Romney for his many years of public service," Utah's senior Sen. Mike Lee said. "I wish him the very best of success in his future endeavors, and I know that his family will enjoy the opportunity to spend more time with him."
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, who has led the Senate Republican caucus throughout Romney's tenure, said he's sorry to learn of Romney's departure from the chamber and relieved Romney will remain in his seat through the next year.
"The U.S. Senate is known to attract bright and proven public servants," he said in a news release. "However, we rarely get to welcome new senators already as accomplished and well-regarded as Mitt Romney. ... Sen. Romney's experience as an executive made him an impactful presence from day one. His experience as a campaigner made him a dogged spokesman for worthy causes. And his deep faith and integrity have earned the admiration of each of his colleagues."
Former Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan praised the senator as the "consummate American statesman."
"There is no better man I have ever known," Ryan said. "Mitt is principled and patriotic, a man of faith and character. He has served this nation with distinction and long been a ballast for Republican ideals. @SenatorRomney's voice and his leadership will be sorely missed."
What's next?
When asked how his family felt about his decision not to run again, Romney said they were "entirely united" in their support for his decision.
"I typically follow the counsel of my wife, Anne, and this is one more example of that," he said.
When asked whether any of his five sons have plans to run for office, Romney said no — but left the door open to the possibility.
"I don't think my sons have lost touch with common sense," he said, jokingly. "I don't know that any of them will run for office. It always depends on whether the window opens and whether there's an opportunity and a need. You can never, in my opinion, accurately predict whether that will occur."
Romney doesn't know exactly what he plans to do next but said he would like to speak on college campuses to encourage young people to get more involved in politics by running for office and voting.
He said he currently "can't imagine" running for higher office again, but quoted from the film "Dumb and Dumber," saying: "There's a one out of a million shot — so you're saying there's a chance?"
"I'm certainly not planning on that," he said.
He's also not planning to endorse an eventual replacement.
"Who the heck cares who endorsed who? You make your decision as a voter about what you think about the candidate and their point of view and their vision. ... I hope that we get a very strong contender and that it's someone who's a little younger than me," Romney said.
Even before Romney's announcement, several candidates and potential candidates had expressed interest in his seat. Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs announced an official campaign in May, and Utah House Speaker Brad Wilson, R-Kaysville, formed an exploratory committee in April.
Wilson teased a possible run in a statement Wednesday, thanking Romney for his service "though we did not always see eye to eye."
"We are at a crossroads, and it's never been more important to elect a strong conservative fighter to the U.S. Senate," Wilson said. "The stakes are too high, and we need a leader with the guts to stand up and get things done for the people of this state. ... Stay tuned."
Contributing: Suzanne Bates
