Willard "Mitt" Romney
Candidate for the 2012 Republican presidential
nomination
by Liz Olson and Jennie Wood
Mitt Romney may have lacked the political experience of his rivals when he ran for
the Republican presidential nomination in 2008, but four years later he has emerged as the seasoned front
runner, comfortable in front of a crowd, and unafraid to discuss controversial issues, such as the similarity
between his successful Massachusetts health care plan and Obama's national one. His success in business and managing the 2002 Olympic Games has
demonstrated an innate leadership ability and attracts voters worried about the country's troubled economy.
Romney’s presidential
campaign agenda is based on conservative principles, including small
government, lower taxes, national security, defending the traditional
family, and calling out Obama for being ineffective, especially when it comes to the economy.
Born into a politically active family in Detroit, Michigan, with roots in the Mormon Church, it
was only natural that Romney would pursue a political career. His father,
George W. Romney, was the governor of Michigan from 1963-69, and a 1968 presidential candidate. His mother, Lenore
Romney, was a U.S. Senate candidate in 1970.
Business Career
Romney graduated with a B.A. from Brigham Young University,
and then earned an M.B.A. and a J.D. from Harvard Business and Law schools.
After graduating from Harvard, Romney began his business career with the
Boston Consulting Group in 1974, and went on to become vice president of
another Boston-based consulting firm, Bain & Company, Inc. In 1984, he
co-founded Bain Capital, a private equity investment firm. He headed the
company for 14 years, investing in or buying well-known companies such as
Staples, Brookstone, Domino’s, and Sports Authority. He and his wife
have accrued a net worth of between $190 and $250 million.
With a short political résumé, Romney draws on his business
experience and his role on the 2002 Olympic Games committee as proof of his
ability to run the nation. Romney was brought in as the president and CEO of
the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Games in 1999 to rescue the games from
fiscal crisis. He overhauled the committee’s leadership and policies,
reduced budgets, and increased fundraising. He also coordinated a $300
million security budget to ensure safety at the Games in the wake of the September 11, 2001,
attacks.
Massachusetts Politics
Romney’s political career has been brief; he served as the governor of
Massachusetts for only one term. In 1994 he lost to Democrat Ted Kennedy in the race for
the U.S. Senate. Kennedy, however, won by the slimmest margin in his nine
terms in the Senate.
Despite a complaint filed by the Democratic Party
about residency issues, Romney ran for governor of Massachusetts in 2002. He used $6.3 million of
his own money during the campaign, and defeated Democrat Shannon
O’Brien in the general election.
As governor, Romney created a scholarship program that rewards the top 25% of Massachusetts high school
students with a tuition-free education to any Massachusetts public college
or university. He also proposed and signed legislation that requires all
Massachusetts residents to have health care.
Romney’s early support gave way to criticism over the explosive gay marriage issue in
Massachusetts. He opposes same-sex marriages and civil unions, yet he backed
a proposed state constitutional amendment in 2004 that would have allowed
civil unions and banned gay marriage (the amendment failed to pass). He
withdrew his support of this amendment, however, in favor of a 2005 petition
that banned both. (In 2003, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled
that barring gays and lesbians from marrying violates the state
constitution.)
2008 Campaign for President
After his term as
Massachusetts governor ended in January 2007, Romney formally announced his
candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination. While Romney was
certainly not the first politician from Massachusetts to run for president,
he did break the mold of Massachusetts liberal. His campaign was
aimed at the conservative wing of the Republican Party. Regardless of his short
political career, Romney’s business acumen translated into success
in fund-raising, which allowed him to be one of the top contenders for the
Republican nomination.
On December 6, 2007, Romney gave a 20-minute speech at the George Bush Presidential Library in Texas to address concerns expressed by many voters about his faith. "I believe in my Mormon faith and endeavor to live by it," said Romney, but he also stressed that his religious views would not affect his ability to be president. Romney was doing well in early voting states, so it was argued he did not need to give a speech about his religion. However, it had been a sensitive issue since he began running for the Republican nomination, and his support began to shift in states like Iowa. Polls showed that Americans would not vote for a Mormon candidate. According to evangelical Christians, who make up a significant amount of Republican votes, Mormonism is heretical.
Many people compared Romney's speech to one made by John F. Kennedy in 1960 about his Roman Catholic faith. Kennedy was trying to convince ministers, who were openly hostile of his faith, that his religion would not affect his governance. Romney, on the other hand, spoke in front of a friendly crowd. In his speech, Romney advocated for religion to take a larger role in American public life. Romney stated that "no candidate should become the spokesman for his faith. For if he becomes president he will need the prayers of the people of all faiths."
Another reason for Romney's "Faith in America" speech was the rise in the polls of Southern Baptist minister and former Governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee. Huckabee ran a Christian-themed campaign and, on January 3, 2008, won the Iowa Republican Caucuses, the first contest of the primary season, with 34 percent of the vote. Romney placed second with 25 percent of the vote even though he outspent Huckabee. Both John McCain and Huckabee began attacking Romney for being a flip flopper on issues. Romney stayed in the race through Super Tuesday. On February 7, just two days later, he announced the end of his campaign. At that time McCain was leading Romney in delegates by a margin of more than two-to-one. A week later, Romney endorsed McCain for president.
2012 Campaign for President
On April 11, 2011, Romney announced that he had formed a committee to explore a run for the Republican presidential nomination. In the announcement he said, "It is time that we put America back on a course of greatness, with a growing economy, good jobs, and fiscal discipline in Washington." Romney emerged as the early front-runner in a weak field. Many potential candidates declined to run, including Mike Huckabee, Donald Trump, and Mitch Daniels. Romney's greatest hurdle this time out seems to be the Massachusetts health care reform law that he signed as Governor because it closely resembles Obama's national health care law, which republican's are working to overturn.
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