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Republican Mitt Romney, a staunch supporter of the Reaganite wing of the Republican Party and a defiant critic of Donald Trump, will not seek re-election to the U.S. Senate next year, saying it is now up to a “new generation of leaders” to “shape what they will become.” world” time. live”.
Romney, 76, the 2012 Republican presidential candidate, announced his decision to end his political career in a prerecorded video statement Wednesday in which he mentioned his age.
He said: “At the end of another semester, I will be in my eighties. Frankly, it is time for a new generation of leaders.”
Romney’s departure would eliminate one of the remaining bulwarks blocking the Republican Party’s shift from its modern conservatism roots to Trump’s populism. The news comes five years after the death of Senator John McCain. McCain is Romney’s predecessor as the Republican presidential nominee and one of the few powerful opponents in Washington of the Republican Party’s embrace of Trump.
Romney’s decision will also raise troubling questions about Washington’s aging elite, which includes President Joe Biden and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell.
Romney also quoted the 77-year-old Trump in his statement: “Neither President Biden nor former President Trump are leading their parties to confront (the most important) issues.”
Biden, 80, has faced questions about his age as he prepares for his reelection bid, while McConnell, 81, has faced demands after twice appearing to freeze during interviews with reporters in recent months Calls for resignation.
Romney’s planned exit from the Senate would also be a blow to moderate Republicans seeking to distance themselves from Trump, especially in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol and the former president’s attempts to subvert the 2020 election.
Romney was the only Republican senator to vote to convict the former president in both of Trump’s impeachment trials.
Trump, the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, cheered Romney’s announcement, calling it “good news for America” and saying there was no more “need” to try to oust the Utah senator “massive primary fight.”
Romney is also seen as a bipartisan dealmaker on Capitol Hill and has played a major role in interparty legislative negotiations. He voted with Democrats on multiple occasions, including the confirmation of Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first African-American woman to serve as a Supreme Court justice.
McConnell praised Romney on Wednesday, saying few new senators “are already as accomplished and respected as Mitt Romney.”
“Senator Romney’s experience as an executive makes him influential from day one,” McConnell added. “His experience as an activist has made him a staunch voice for worthy causes. His deep convictions and integrity have earned him the admiration of every colleague.”
Romney previously served as CEO of management consulting firm Bain & Company, co-founding and leading its private equity spinout Bain Capital. He took a leave of absence from the company to lead the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, a move that catapulted him into politics.
Romney became governor of Massachusetts in 2002 and launched an unsuccessful bid for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008. He lost that race to McCain but won the Republican Party’s support in the 2012 presidential election, which he lost to Barack Obama.
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