Republican Utah Sen. Mitt Romney has announced his retirement at the end of his term next year, ruling out the possibility of another run for reelection.
In a video posted to social media, Romney said that he would not run for a second Senate term in 2024, saying that it was time for the younger generation to take the political stage.
“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,” he said.
Romney is one of the most prominent figures in the Republican Party, serving as a moderate Massachusetts governor, winning the party’s presidential nomination in 2012, and then serving in the Senate since 2019. He is also one of the most vocal conservative critics of former President Donald Trump.
The Utah senator warned of mounting national difficulties ranging from the Russian war and China to the ballooning national debt.
“Neither President Biden nor former President Trump are leading their party to confront those issues,” he stressed. “Political motivations too often impede the solutions that these challenges demand. The next generation of leaders must take America to the next stage of global leadership.”
Despite making political enemies of Trump and his supporters, Romney reiterated that he enjoyed his time in the upper chamber and is proud of his accomplishments on bipartisan legislation on issues such as guns and infrastructure.
“Contrary to a lot of expectations, I enjoy my work in the Senate a good deal. The last few years have been particularly productive,” Romney said. “It is a profound honor to serve Utah and the country and I thank you for giving me the opportunity to do so.”
The 76-year-old lawmaker was an important member of the Senate’s bipartisan groups throughout the first two years of President Joe Biden’s presidency and was instrumental in the passage of the infrastructure law.
In spite of Romney’s conservative votes during his time in the Senate, he also backed bipartisan compromises on issues like marriage equality, gun safety, and microchip manufacturing.
