Mitt Romney Fast Facts

CNN Editorial Research

Here’s a look at the life of Mitt Romney, Republican US senator from Utah. Romney is a former governor of Massachusetts and 2012 Republican presidential nominee.

Personal

Birth date: March 12, 1947

Birth place: Detroit, Michigan

Birth name: Willard Mitt Romney

Father: George W. Romney, former governor of Michigan

Mother: Lenore (LaFount) Romney

Marriage: Ann (Davies) Romney (March 21, 1969-present)

Children: Craig, Benjamin, Joshua, Matthew and Taggart

Education: Attended Stanford University, 1965-1966; Brigham Young University, B.A., 1971; Harvard University, joint J.D./M.B.A. degree, 1975

Religion: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Other Facts

His middle name comes from his father’s cousin, Mitt, who played in the NFL for the Chicago Bears in the 1920s.

Has been involved in various charities and civic groups including the Boy Scouts, City Year and the Points of Light Foundation.

Timeline

Late 1960s – After his freshman year at Stanford, Romney spends two years in France as a missionary.

1978-1984 – Vice president of Boston-based Bain & Company, a management consulting firm.

1984-1990 and 1991-1999 – Chief executive officer of Bain Capital, a company he also founded.

1990-1991 – Returns to Bain & Company as chief executive officer.

1994 – Makes an unsuccessful run for the US Senate against Ted Kennedy.

1999-2002 – President and chief executive officer of the Salt Lake City Olympic Organizing Committee, the group in charge of the 2002 Winter Olympics.

January 2, 2003-January 4, 2007 – Republican Governor of Massachusetts.

April 12, 2006 – Signs health care legislation for Massachusetts.

January 3, 2007 – Romney files papers with the FEC for an exploratory committee, the initial step toward running for president in 2008.

February 13, 2007 – Officially announces his intention to run in the 2008 presidential election during a speech in Dearborn, Michigan.

February 7, 2008 – Suspends his campaign after a disappointing showing in the Super Tuesday primaries and caucuses.

February 14, 2008 – Endorses John McCain for president and encourages his 286 delegates to support McCain.

March 2, 2010 – Romney’s book, “No Apology: The Case for American Greatness,” is published.

April 11, 2011 – In a YouTube video, Romney announces that he’s formed an exploratory committee in his second run for the White House.

June 2, 2011 – Romney officially announces his candidacy for president, from a family farm in Stratham, New Hampshire.

September 6, 2011 – Announces his job creation plan for America.

January 24, 2012 – Romney’s campaign releases tax documents showing Romney made $42.7 million over the past two years and paid $6.2 million in taxes.

August 11, 2012 – Announces Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan as his running mate.

August 30, 2012 – Gives his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida.

September 16, 2012 – Video is released showing Romney at a $50,000-a-plate fundraiser, referring to 47% of the country as dependent on government assistance. “There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it. That’s an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what…These are people who pay no income tax.”

September 21, 2012 – Releases his 2011 income tax return. The documents show Romney made $13.7 million and paid $1.94 million in taxes, a tax rate of 14.1%.

November 6, 2012 – Defeated in the general election by President Barack Obama. Romney wins 206 Electoral College votes to Obama’s 332.

March 2013-2019 – Chairman of the executive committee of Solamere Capital, an investment firm founded by his son, Tagg.

January 30, 2015 – Romney tells supporters he will not make a third run for president, saying he believes it’s “best to give other leaders in the party the opportunity” to become the nominee. He acknowledges that he may not have been the strongest contender for the GOP in a general election, and said that was the primary motivation behind his decision.

March 4, 2016 – Tells NBC’s Matt Lauer on the “Today” show he will not make an 11th-hour presidential run to try to stop Donald Trump from winning the Republican nomination, the day after sharply attacking the real estate mogul’s candidacy.

January 8, 2018 – A source close to Romney tells CNN Romney was treated for prostate cancer over the summer. “He was treated surgically by Dr. Thomas Ahlering at UC Irvine Hospital in California,” the source says. “His prognosis is good; he was successfully treated.”

February 16, 2018 – Romney announces that he is running for the US Senate from Utah.

June 26, 2018 – Wins the Republican Senate primary in Utah.

November 6, 2018 – Wins the US Senate race in Utah, defeating Jenny Wilson. He succeeds Sen. Orrin Hatch, who is retiring after nearly 40 years in the Senate.

January 1, 2019 – The Washington Post publishes an op-ed by Romney in which he questions Trump’s character but says he supports many of the president’s policies.

January 2, 2019 – Romney tells CNN’s Jake Tapper that while he will not run against Trump in the 2020 presidential race, he is not yet sure who he will endorse. “I’m going to see what the alternatives are,” he says.

January 3, 2019 – Is sworn in as a US senator.

October 20, 2019 – In a profile in The Atlantic, Romney explains that he has been secretly using a Twitter account to monitor political discussions on social media. A Slate investigation links the account, which is under the name Pierre Delecto, to him. The account, opened July 2011, is now private.

February 5, 2020 – Romney becomes the first senator in US history to vote to remove from office a president from the same party during the final day of Trump’s impeachment trial.

February 13, 2021 – Romney is one of seven Republicans who vote to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial. The final vote is 57 guilty to 43 not guilty, short of the 67 guilty votes needed to convict.

March 1, 2021 – Romney tells reporters he was knocked unconscious and taken to the hospital for “a lot of stitches” on his eyebrow and eyelid after a fall over the weekend while visiting his grandchildren in Boston.

May 1, 2021 – A resolution to censure Romney for his two votes to convict Trump fails at the Utah Republican Party organizing convention. The vote fails 711-798, according to Utah Republican Party spokeswoman Lynda Cox.

January 28, 2022 – According to a spokesperson, Romney has tested positive for COVID-19.

April 7, 2022 – Is one of only three Republicans to vote in favor of confirming Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson. The historic vote paves the way for her to become the first Black woman to serve on the highest court in the nation.

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