US Senator for Utah Mitt Romney (R) announced in a video statement Wednesday (September 13) that he would not seek reelection in 2024.
With this announcement, it is expected that he will serve out the duration of his term until its expiry in January 2025.
Romney, who became known as the Republican presidential nominee in 2012 and the only member of his party to twice vote to convict former president Donald Trump in politically charged impeachment trials, said he would not seek a second term and would allow a new generation of statesmen to "step up" and "shape the world they're going to live in."
His decision not to seek reelection next year is likely to mark the end of a political career that has been notable, especially in the Trump era, for independence and a willingness to stand up against the base of his party that has shifted dramatically in Trump's direction in the decade since Romney was its standard-bearer, the Washington Post reported.
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Romney Cites Old Age as Reason for Standing Down
The 76-year-old senator said his decision was heavily influenced by his belief that a second term, which would take him to his 80s, would probably be less productive and less satisfying than the current term he has been in, which he blamed in both on the disarray he saw among House Republicans and on his own lack of confidence in the leadership of both President Joe Biden and Trump before him.
"It's very difficult for the House to operate, from what I can tell," he said in a lengthy telephone interview previewing his formal announcement, "and two, and perhaps more importantly, we're probably going to have either Trump or Biden as our next president. And Biden is unable to lead on important matters and Trump is unwilling to lead on important matters."
Despite him exiting the Senate after the 2024 election, Romney insisted he would look for ways for him to be as productive as possible and would neither "hit the beach" nor retire from the party.
Prior to his stint as senator, Romney twice sought the presidency and served as governor of Massachusetts before moving to Utah and being elected to the Senate as the highest-achieving Mormon politician of his time. His father, George, was a governor of Michigan, ran unsuccessfully for president in 1968, and served as secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President Richard Nixon.
