Romney files candidacy for 2024 but stops short of announcing reelection
Cami Mondeaux
Video Embed
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) took his first step toward launching a reelection campaign by submitting a declaration of candidacy to the Federal Election Commission, but the Utah senator stopped short of confirming whether he would run for another term.
Romney submitted a “statement of candidacy” on Tuesday, allowing the senator to begin fundraising and spending campaign funds. Although the move does not definitively indicate whether Romney plans to run, it’s the clearest sign yet of his future plans.
ROMNEY ‘CONVINCED’ HE COULD WIN REELECTION TO SENATE IF HE RUNS IN 2024
Up until this point, Romney has remained tight-lipped about his reelection plans. However, the senator maintained that he is “confident” he would win should he choose to run again, surprising some critics who viewed his rebellion against former President Donald Trump as an indication he would be a one-term senator.
“I’ll make that assessment over the coming months, and sometime in the spring or summer, I’ll make that decision,” Romney told reporters in February. “I’m confident that I would win if I decide to run. I’ll have the resources, and I believe the people of Utah would be with me.”
Members of Romney’s staff downplayed the FEC filing, emphasizing the senator has not made a decision.
“No new decision or announcement to share, and as the Senator has said, he will make a final decision in the coming months,” Romney’s chief of staff Liz Johnson told the Washington Examiner. “In the meantime, we’re ensuring he’s well prepared to run if he chooses.”
Romney was a prominent national figure before being elected to the Senate from Utah. He served as the governor of Massachusetts and was the 2012 Republican nominee for president, losing to former President Barack Obama.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Romney has been notable throughout his first Senate term for his willingness to break with other Republicans on key issues. The junior Utah senator especially took on that reputation after voting to convict former President Donald Trump in his first impeachment trial in 2019, making him the first senator to vote to remove a president of the same party.
Romney’s chances are unclear in the reliably red state of Utah, which voted for Trump in both 2016 and 2020 by wide margins, though conservative anti-Trump sentiment is more pronounced there than in other red states. Meanwhile, Utah voters remain split on whether Romney should seek reelection, according to a recent survey from the Hinckley Institute of Politics and the Deseret News.