SALT LAKE CITY — As Mitt Romney prepares to leave the U.S. Senate, Washington will lose one of its most vocal conservative critics of Donald Trump as the president resumes his term in the upcoming year.
In a farewell news conference scheduled for Friday in Salt Lake City, the retiring senator will look back on his two-decade political journey, which includes running for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012, serving as the governor of Massachusetts, and navigating numerous confrontations with Trump supporters in Congress.
Romney, now 77, opted not to seek reelection this year after representing Utah in the Senate since 2019. He has expressed a desire to focus on engaging younger generations in politics once he leaves office in January, although he has not detailed any specific initiatives.
Once a leading figure in the Republican Party, Romney has observed how his brand of moderate conservatism has transitioned from mainstream to marginal as Trump’s influence grew within the party.
He quickly emerged as a key voice for the centrist faction in Congress, playing a pivotal role in negotiating the $550 billion bipartisan infrastructure law—one of the Biden administration’s landmark achievements—and a significant COVID-19 relief package.
Political analysts are concerned that his exit may create a gap in strong centrist representation, which is essential for maintaining bipartisanship amid the heightened polarization that characterizes today’s Washington.
Romney’s Senate seat will be filled by Republican U.S. Rep. John Curtis, who has built a reputation for challenging party leaders like Trump, particularly on issues like climate change, which he argues is real despite contrary claims from some party members. Attention will be focused on Curtis and other moderate Republicans who may choose to diverge from the party line when it comes to confirming Trump’s cabinet selections.
In 2020, Romney made history by becoming the first senator to vote to convict a president of his own party during an impeachment trial. He stood alone as the only Republican in Congress to support the conviction of Trump in both of his impeachment trials, where Trump ultimately faced acquittal from the Senate.
Earlier this year, Romney announced that he would not support Trump in future elections but refrained from joining other prominent Republicans in endorsing Democrat Kamala Harris, stating that he wanted to maintain his capacity to contribute to the future revitalization of the Republican Party.
