Utah Republican Sen. Mitt Romney appears to be done with politics.
The one-term senator and two-time failed GOP presidential contender who became a vehement critic of then-President Donald Trump after losing out on a secretary of state position said in a video posted to the X platform that he won’t seek a second term.
Romney, 76, said in an interview with the Washington Post that it is time for a new generation to “step up” and “shape the world they’re going to live in.”
Romney stated that his choice not to seek re-election was significantly shaped by his conviction that a second term, carrying him into his 80s, would likely be less productive and less fulfilling compared to his current term. He attributed this to the discord he observed within House Republicans and his personal reservations about the leadership of both President Biden and Trump.
“It’s very difficult for the House to operate, from what I can tell, and two, and perhaps more importantly, we’re probably going to have either Trump or Biden as our next president. And Biden is unable to lead on important matters, and Trump is unwilling to lead on important matters,” he told the Post.
The outlet noted further:
Romney, elected to the Senate in 2018 with 63 percent of the vote, said he will serve out the duration of his term, which ends in January 2025. His decision not to seek reelection next year is likely to mark the end of a political career that has been notable, especially in the Trump era, for independence and a willingness to stand up against the base of his party that has shifted dramatically in Trump’s direction in the decade since Romney was its standard-bearer.
From the time Trump first became a candidate until today, Romney has been among his most outspoken critics, and nothing about his departure is expected to change that. In the weeks before Trump’s 2017 inauguration, Romney publicly acquiesced, expressing hope for the president-elect’s leadership while he was under consideration to be secretary of state. But his turnabout was short-lived.
Romney stood as the only Republican senator who cast a vote in favor of convicting Trump during the 2020 impeachment trial. The trial centered on Trump’s alleged attempts to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky into investigating Biden in the lead-up to the 2020 presidential campaign, coupled with the withholding of aid to Ukraine.
Furthermore, Romney was among the seven Republican senators who voted to convict during the second trial, which occurred in the aftermath of the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Romney told the Post he wanted to help someone other than Trump become the 2024 nominee, but “that apparently isn’t going to happen.” He added, “I doubt my support will mean anything positive to any of the candidates at the finish line. I’m not looking to get involved in that.”
