Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) said he will forego running for reelection after his term ends in January 2025.
“I have spent my last 25 years in public service of one kind or another. At the end of another term, I’d be in my mid-eighties. Frankly, it’s time for a new generation of leaders. They’re the ones that need to make the decisions that will shape the world they will be living in,” Romney said in a video statement.
“Now, we have critical challenges – mounting national debt, climate change, and the ambitious authoritarians of Russia and China,” he added.
Romney used his video statement to criticize both Joe Biden and Donald Trump.
“Neither President Biden nor former President Trump are leading their party to confront those issues,” Romney said.
“Donald Trump calls global warming a hoax, and President Biden offers feelgood solutions that make no difference to the global climate,” he added.
“While I’m not running for reelection, I’m not retiring from the fight,” Romney continued.
WATCH:
My message to Utahns on my Senate reelection plan: pic.twitter.com/kgbsfIxMeR
— Senator Mitt Romney (@SenatorRomney) September 13, 2023
Very few Americans, if any, will miss Mitt Romney once he leaves office in 2025.
Social media users commented on Romney’s statement.
I’m the happiest guy in the world.
Let’s replace Romney w/ a real Republican.
— ThePersistence (@ScottPresler) September 13, 2023
Don't let the door hit you on the way out.
— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) September 13, 2023
Glad to see you go, Mittoris. You’re an embarrassment to America. Go retire in irrelevance.
— Joey Mannarino (@JoeyMannarinoUS) September 13, 2023
Not only does Mitt Romney not represent what it means to be a conservative, he’s been a tool for the Democrat Machine against his own party.
GOOD RIDDANCE!!!!
— Righteous⚡️Crusader (@Craftmastah) September 13, 2023
Time to take out the trash! Good riddance… pic.twitter.com/DZ2XtaUYsO
— Amy Kremer (@AmyKremer) September 13, 2023
CNBC reports:
Romney was elected to the Senate in 2018, a return to elected office for the former governor of Massachusetts who mounted a failed bid to unseat then-President Barack Obama in 2012.
In Congress, Romney distinguished himself as one of former President Donald Trump’s few outspoken Republican critics. He was the only Republican to vote to convict Trump following his first impeachment trial in early 2020, a decision that drew a scornful response from Trump and his allies.
Romney joined six other Republican senators in 2021 who voted to convict Trump following his second impeachment for inciting the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection.
Romney’s animosity toward Trump pre-dated his election to the Senate. In the 2016 election cycle, Romney unleashed a torrent of criticism against Trump, denouncing the then-rising star of the GOP as a “fraud” and encouraging voters to pick one of his remaining primary challengers.
“FANTASTIC NEWS FOR AMERICA,THE GREAT STATE OF UTAH, & FOR THE REPUBLICAN PARTY. MITT ROMNEY, SOMETIMES REFERRED TO AS PIERRE DELECTO, WILL NOT BE SEEKING A SECOND TERM IN THE U.S. SENATE, WHERE HE DID NOT SERVE WITH DISTINCTION. A BIG PRIMARY FIGHT AGAINST HIM WAS IN THE OFFING, BUT NOW THAT WILL NOT BE NECESSARY. CONGRATS TO ALL. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” Donald Trump posted on Truth Social in response to Mitt Romney’s announcement.