Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, who lost the 2012 presidential election to Barack Obama, announced on Friday that he will run for the U.S. Senate seat in Utah, pledging to bring Utah’s values to Washington, D.C.
“Given all that America faces, we feel this is the right time for me to serve our state and our country,” Romney, a Republican who has been critical of President Donald Trump, said in an online video. “I ask for your support and your vote, and I look forward to meeting you over the coming year.”
In the two-minute video, the former governor praised Utah and vowed to bring the state’s values and lessons to the U.S. Senate.
“Utah has balanced its budgets, Washington is buried in debt. Utah exports more abroad than it imports. Washington has that backwards,” Romney said. “Utah welcomes legal immigrants from around the world, Washington sends immigrants a message of exclusion. .. Utah is a better model for Washington than Washington is for Utah.”
Romney also vowed to be led by voters, not wealthy donors and corporations. “If you give me this opportunity, I will owe the Senate seat to no one but the people of Utah. No donor, no corporation will own my campaign or bias my vote. And let there be no question, I will fight for Utah,” he said.
Romney, who grew up in Michigan, served as Governor of Massachusetts from 2003 until 2007. He later ran for president and won the Republican Party’s presidential election, but he lost the race to President Barack Obama. Romney received just over 47 percent of the vote.
Romney disappeared from the political scene as he spent time with his family in the aftermath of the 2012 presidential election. He later re-emerged and campaigned for a number of Republican candidates ahead of the 2014 mid-term elections. Over the past few years, he received national attention for his opposition against Trump, who he has called a “phony” and a “fraud.”
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