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121-409: Mitt Romney won the 2011 poll with 35 percent of the vote. Second was Ron Paul with 11 percent, and third place was taken by Tim Pawlenty with 8 percent. They were followed by Sarah Palin with 7 percent and Michele Bachmann and Jim DeMint with 5 percent each. Those with less than that included Herman Cain , Rick Santorum , Mitch Daniels , Newt Gingrich , Mike Huckabee , Mike Pence , and

242-418: A Belmont, Massachusetts , house with Ann and their two children, his social experience differed from that of most of his classmates. He was nonideological and did not involve himself in the political issues of the day. Romney graduated from Harvard in 1975. He was named a Baker Scholar for graduating in the top 5% of his business school class and received his Juris Doctor degree cum laude for ranking in

363-543: A JD–MBA degree from Harvard . He became a management consultant and in 1977 joined Bain & Company in Boston . As Bain's chief executive officer (CEO), he helped lead the company out of a financial crisis. In 1984, he co-founded and led the spin-off company Bain Capital , a private equity investment firm that became one of the largest of its kind in the nation. After stepping down from his positions at Bain Capital and in

484-438: A health care reform law (commonly called "Romneycare") that provided near-universal health insurance access through state-level subsidies and individual mandates to purchase insurance . He also presided over the elimination of a projected $ 1.2–1.5 billion deficit through a combination of spending cuts, increased fees, and closing corporate tax loopholes . He did not seek reelection in 2006 , instead focusing on his campaign for

605-403: A presidential preference poll , is conducted of the attendees at the caucus. The results are released to the media and published on the state party website. Delegates are then elected to the county conventions. It is at the county conventions that delegates are elected to state conventions, and from the state convention to the national convention. At each level, delegates may be bound or unbound to

726-413: A $ 50 fine if he took the boat onto the lake. Disagreeing about the license and wanting to continue a family outing, Romney took it out anyway, saying he would pay the fine. The ranger arrested him for disorderly conduct . The charges were dropped several days later. In 1983, on a 12-hour family road trip, he placed the family's dog in a windshield-equipped carrier on the roof of their car , and then washed

847-495: A 3.97 GPA . He gave commencement addresses to both the College of Humanities and the whole of BYU. The Romneys' first son, Taggart , was born in 1970 while they were undergraduates at BYU and living in a basement apartment . Their son Matthew was born in 1971 and Joshua in 1975. Benjamin (1978) and Craig (1981) were born after Romney had begun his career. Romney wanted to pursue a business career, but his father advised him that

968-538: A Giuliani supporter, while Schwarzenegger had refrained from endorsing either McCain or Giuliani because he counted both men as friends. Meanwhile, Romney, still burning about McCain's Iraq withdrawal timetable charge, compared McCain to disgraced former President Richard Nixon , saying that McCain's claim was "reminiscent of the Nixon era" and that "I don't think I want to see our party go back to that kind of campaigning." McCain won his home state of Arizona, taking all 53 of

1089-436: A bit of his "straight talk", saying that "There are some jobs that aren't coming back to Michigan," and proposing federal job training plans and other remedies to compensate. Romney seized on McCain's statement as overly pessimistic and promoted instead his family heritage – "[I've] got the automobile industry in my blood veins" – as well as his being a Washington outsider who would go there and "turn Washington inside out." In

1210-400: A businessman who said he had created 10,000 jobs and as a Washington outsider with a solid family image and moderate stances on social issues. When Kennedy tried to tie Romney's policies to those of Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush , Romney responded, "Look, I was an independent during the time of Reagan-Bush. I'm not trying to take us back to Reagan-Bush." Romney said, "Ultimately, this

1331-902: A candidate. GOP February 5 rule Under Republican National Committee rules, no state was allowed to hold its 2008 primary before February 5. Five states – Wyoming, New Hampshire, Michigan, South Carolina, and Florida – moved their primaries ahead and were subsequently stripped of one-half of their apportioned delegates by the RNC. This punishment was eventually the same as Democratic procedures though that party originally decided to strip all delegates from offending states Michigan and Florida before seating half. The Republican rules did not affect Iowa, Maine, Nevada and Louisiana, because those states did not technically choose their delegates until district or state conventions that occurred after February 5. The Iowa county and state conventions were held on March 15 and June 14, 2008, respectively. The Nevada state convention

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1452-455: A candidate. If unbound, delegates are not obligated to follow the results of the presidential preference poll. Thus, all estimates of delegates from caucus states are dependent on state party by-laws. With Vice President Dick Cheney choosing not to seek the nomination, making this election the first time since 1928 that neither the current President or Vice President was a candidate, and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice ruling herself out,

1573-511: A chief executive. Part of a 1970s wave of top graduates who chose to go into consulting rather than join a large company directly, he found his legal and business education useful in his job. He applied BCG principles such as the growth-share matrix , and executives viewed him as having a bright future there. At BCG, he was a colleague of Benjamin Netanyahu , with whom he formed a friendship that has lasted for more than 40 years. In 1977, he

1694-644: A civil ceremony in Bloomfield Hills and the next day, they flew to Utah for a Mormon wedding ceremony at the Salt Lake Temple ; Ann had converted to the faith while he was away. Romney had missed much of the tumultuous anti-Vietnam War movement in America while in France. Upon his return, he was surprised to learn that his father had joined that movement during his unsuccessful 1968 presidential campaign . George

1815-550: A close third. Many saw Michigan as Romney's last chance for a campaign-saving win after disappointments in the first two races. Others said that a win in Michigan could cement McCain's status as the "front-runner" for the nomination. McCain's campaign garnered about $ 1 million in newly contributed funds immediately after the New Hampshire win, but still had $ 3.5 million in bank debt. Nevertheless, some polls showed McCain getting

1936-461: A complicated partnership structure so that there was no financial or professional risk to Romney. Bain and Romney raised the $ 37 million needed to start the new operation, which had seven employees. Romney held the titles of president and managing general partner. Though he was the sole shareholder of the firm, publications also called him managing director or CEO. Initially, Bain Capital focused on venture capital investments. Romney set up

2057-471: A deal where it profited handsomely from early payments and management fees, even though the subject company itself later went into bankruptcy. Dade Behring was another case where Bain Capital received an eightfold return on its investment but the company itself was saddled with debt and laid off over a thousand employees before Bain Capital exited (the company subsequently went into bankruptcy, with more layoffs, before recovering and prospering). Referring to

2178-541: A debate originally scheduled for February 28, saying that McCain was the "presumptive nominee." Mike Huckabee challenged John McCain to a debate before the March 4 primaries, and the Values Voter coalition stepped in, arranging for a debate hall and inviting both McCain and Huckabee, as well as Rep. Ron Paul to participate in a March 3 debate event. After Governor Huckabee had accepted the invitation, Senator McCain said that he had

2299-598: A decade. By the end of his stint in December 1968, he was overseeing the work of 175 others. As a result of his experience there, Romney developed a lifelong affection for France and its people, and has remained fluent in French. At their first meeting following his return, Romney and Ann Davies reconnected and decided to get married. Before their wedding, Romney moved to Utah and enrolled at Brigham Young University , where Ann had been studying. They married on March 21, 1969, in

2420-517: A few Mormon students at Cranbrook School , a private upscale boys' preparatory school a few miles from his home. Many students there came from backgrounds even more privileged than his. Not particularly athletic, he also did not distinguish himself academically. He participated in his father's successful 1962 Michigan gubernatorial campaign , and later worked as an intern in the governor's office. Romney took up residence at Cranbrook when his newly elected father began spending most of his time at

2541-407: A few years. Bain Capital lost money in many of its early leveraged buyouts, but then found deals that made large returns. The firm invested in or acquired Accuride Corporation , Brookstone , Domino's Pizza , Sealy Corporation , Sports Authority , and Artisan Entertainment , as well as some lesser-known companies in the industrial and medical sectors. Much of the firm's profit was earned from

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2662-674: A group staged a May 1966 sit-in at Stanford's administration building to demonstrate against draft status tests; Romney joined a counterprotest against that group. He continued to enjoy occasional pranks. In July 1966, he began a 30-month stint in France as a Mormon missionary , a traditional rite of passage in his family. He arrived in Le Havre , where he shared cramped quarters under meager conditions. Rules against drinking, smoking, and dating were strictly enforced. On average, individual Mormon missionaries do not gain many converts and Romney

2783-550: A hands-on role in the Boston Stake's matters, helping in domestic maintenance efforts, visiting the sick, and counseling burdened church members. A number of local church members later credited him with turning their lives around or helping them through difficult times. Others, rankled by his leadership style, desired a more consensus-based approach. Romney tried to balance the conservative directives from church leadership in Utah with

2904-405: A law degree ( Juris Doctor ) would be valuable to his career even if he never practiced law. As a result, he enrolled in the recently created four-year joint Juris Doctor / Master of Business Administration program coordinated between Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School . He readily adapted to the business school's pragmatic, data-driven case study method of teaching . Living in

3025-679: A little bit" and begin to look for areas of agreement. Meanwhile, Romney advisers privately expressed doubts about whether their candidate could realistically hope to defeat McCain, and it was unclear if Romney would spend significant money on key February 12 contests in Virginia and Maryland. Both McCain and Romney addressed the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, DC on February 7, while Mike Huckabee spoke on February 9. Romney used his speech to announce

3146-480: A nearly sevenfold return on its investment, and Romney sat on Staples's board of directors for over a decade. Romney soon switched Bain Capital's focus from startups to the relatively new business of leveraged buyouts : buying existing companies with money mostly borrowed from banking institutions using the newly bought companies' assets as collateral, taking steps to improve the companies' value, and then selling those companies when their value peaked, usually within

3267-644: A new challenge, as well as another chance to prove himself in public life, he did. On February 11, 1999, the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games of 2002 hired Romney as its president and CEO. Before Romney took over, the event was $ 379 million short of its revenue goals. Officials had made plans to scale back the Games to compensate for the fiscal crisis, and there were fears it might be moved away entirely. In addition,

3388-401: A number of others. Romney had been expected to win, based upon his geographical proximity to the state. Of the contenders, only Romney, Pawlenty, and Santorum had spent a lot of time in New Hampshire in the months preceding the straw poll, and only Cain was at the time an actual declared candidate. Mitt Romney [REDACTED] Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947)

3509-446: A political figure who had opposed Kennedy, he would become a focal point for opposition to the structure. He thus kept to a limited, behind-the-scenes role in attempts to ease tensions between the church and local residents. In 1998, Ann Romney learned that she had multiple sclerosis ; Mitt described watching her fail a series of neurological tests as the worst day of his life. After experiencing two years of severe difficulties with

3630-423: A prior commitment and begged off. Huckabee had previous success with rural and Evangelical Christian voters. Huckabee was endorsed by Dr. James Dobson. McCain received an endorsement from Pastor John Hagee (which he later renounced on May 22). On March 4, Super Tuesday 2, McCain managed to win a large number of Evangelical voters along with his usual independent and veteran supporters. John McCain officially clinched

3751-444: A relatively small number of deals; Bain Capital's overall success-to-failure ratio was about even. Romney discovered few investment opportunities himself (and those that he did often failed to make money for the firm). Instead, he focused on analyzing the merits of possible deals that others brought forward and on recruiting investors to participate in them once approved. At Bain Capital, Romney spread profits from deals widely within

New Hampshire Straw Poll - Misplaced Pages Continue

3872-583: A significant national bounce from his New Hampshire win; the January 11 CNN nationwide poll had him at 34 percent support, a 21-point increase from where he had been just a month before, and a significant lead over Huckabee (21 percent) and Giuliani (18 percent). As the Michigan race entered its final days, McCain gained some notoriety by sending out mailers there and in South Carolina attacking Romney's tax record and touting his own. A Romney campaign spokesman called

3993-522: A studio that produced R-rated films . Romney served on the board of directors of Damon Corporation, a medical testing company later found guilty of defrauding the government; Bain Capital tripled its investment before selling off the company, and the fraud was discovered by the new owners (Romney was never implicated). In some cases, Romney had little involvement with a company once Bain Capital acquired it. Bain Capital's leveraged buyouts sometimes led to layoffs, either soon after acquisition or later after

4114-484: A symbolic salary of one dollar (remaining managing general partner of Bain Capital during this time). He oversaw an effort to restructure Bain & Company's employee stock-ownership plan and real-estate deals, while rallying the firm's 1,000 employees, imposing a new governing structure that excluded Bain and the other founding partners from control, and increasing fiscal transparency. He got Bain and other initial owners who had removed excessive amounts of money from

4235-437: A system in which any partner could veto one of these potential opportunities, and he personally saw so many weaknesses that few venture capital investments were approved in the initial two years. The firm's first significant success was a 1986 investment to help start Staples Inc. , after founder Thomas G. Stemberg convinced Romney of the market size for office supplies and Romney convinced others; Bain Capital eventually reaped

4356-457: A team to handle financial and management issues, sought to counter anti-Mormon sentiment, and tried to solve social problems among poor Southeast Asian converts. An unpaid position, his local church leadership often took 30 or more hours a week of his time, and he became known for his considerable energy in the role. He also earned a reputation for avoiding any overnight travel that might interfere with his church responsibilities. Romney took

4477-607: A vice president of the firm in 1978, working with such clients as the Monsanto Company , Outboard Marine Corporation , Burlington Industries , and Corning Incorporated . Within a few years, the firm considered him one of its best consultants. In fact, clients sometimes preferred to use him rather than more-senior partners. Two family incidents during this time later surfaced during Romney's political campaigns. A state park ranger in 1981 told Romney his motorboat had an insufficiently visible license number and that he would face

4598-489: Is a campaign about change." Romney's campaign was effective in portraying Kennedy as soft on crime but had trouble establishing its own consistent positions. By mid-September 1994, polls showed the race about even. Kennedy responded with a series of ads that focused on Romney's seemingly shifting political views on issues such as abortion; Romney responded, "I believe that abortion should be safe and legal in this country." Other Kennedy ads centered on layoffs of workers at

4719-628: Is an American politician, businessman, and lawyer serving as the junior United States senator from Utah since 2019. He served as the 70th governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 and was the Republican Party 's nominee for president of the United States in the 2012 election . Raised in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan , he spent over two years in France as a Mormon missionary . He married Ann Davies in 1969; they have five sons. Active in

4840-423: Is because I go back to that which helped crystallize in me a conservative viewpoint as a teenager when it wasn't easy or popular to be a Republican or a conservative in my hometown, because I do believe that America is about making choices, not simply echoing that of others. Let others join the "Me, too" crowd. But I didn't get where I am today and I didn't fight the battles in a state that, when I became its governor,

4961-669: Is one of Israel 's staunchest supporters in Congress. He has been accused by Trump loyalists of being a Republican In Name Only . In 2023, Romney announced he would not run for reelection in 2024 and would retire from the Senate when his term expires in 2025. Willard Mitt Romney was born on March 12, 1947, at Harper University Hospital in Detroit , Michigan, one of four children born to automobile executive George W. Romney and former actress and homemaker Lenore Romney (née LaFount). His mother

New Hampshire Straw Poll - Misplaced Pages Continue

5082-451: Is the final estimated delegate count. The vast majority of primaries were of the "winner-take-all" variety, and convention rules meant that no one with less than five states in their "pockets" would be allowed to have their names placed in nomination. This guaranteed that the primary season would be very short. McCain won New Hampshire, South Carolina and Florida and thus became nearly unstoppable. After decisive victories on super Tuesday and

5203-485: The 1992 presidential primaries for the Democratic former senator from Massachusetts, Paul Tsongas . By 1993, Romney had begun thinking about entering politics, partly on Ann's urging and also to follow in his father's footsteps. He decided to challenge incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy , who was seeking reelection to a sixth term. Political pundits viewed Kennedy as vulnerable that year, in part because of

5324-460: The Republican Party chose their nominee for president in the 2008 United States presidential election . Senator John McCain of Arizona was selected as the nominee through a series of primary elections and caucuses culminating in the 2008 Republican National Convention held from Monday, September 1, through Thursday, September 4, 2008, in Saint Paul, Minnesota . President George W. Bush

5445-636: The mission president in Paris. While in Paris, Romney resided at the Mission Home for several months, and enjoyed a mansion far more comfortable than the accommodations he experienced elsewhere in the country. When the French expressed opposition to the U.S. role in the Vietnam War , Romney debated them. Those who yelled at him and slammed their doors in his face merely reinforced his resolve. In June 1968, while in southern France and driving an automobile that

5566-475: The "winner-take-all" method to allocate delegates within a state, while others do winner-take-all within a specific congressional district, and still others use the proportional process. Unlike the Democratic Party, state party by-laws determine whether each delegate is pledged and for how long the delegate is pledged. In caucus states, most state parties use a two pronged process. A straw poll , often called

5687-455: The Ampad plant owned by Bain Capital. The latter was effective in blunting Romney's momentum. Kennedy and Romney held a widely watched late October debate that had no clear winner, but by then, Kennedy had pulled ahead in polls and remained so. Romney spent $ 3 million of his own money on the race and more than $ 7 million overall. Despite a disastrous showing for Democrats nationwide , Kennedy won

5808-515: The CPAC audience that he arrived in Washington as "a foot soldier in the Reagan Revolution ", and addressed the issue of illegal immigration – one of the major issues where conservatives have attacked McCain. He said that "it would be among my highest priorities to secure our borders first", before addressing other immigration laws. Mike Huckabee spoke to CPAC two days later and said, "I know that there

5929-516: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) throughout his adult life, Romney served as bishop of his ward and later as a stake president for an area covering Boston and many of its suburbs. By 1971, he had participated in the political campaigns of both his parents. In 1971, Romney graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English from Brigham Young University (BYU) and in 1975 he received

6050-529: The Games' image had been damaged by allegations of bribery against top officials including prior committee president and CEO Frank Joklik. The Salt Lake Organizing Committee forced Joklik and committee vice president Dave Johnson to resign. Utah power brokers, including Governor Mike Leavitt , searched for someone with a scandal-free reputation to take charge of the Olympics. They chose Romney based on his business and legal expertise as well as his connections to both

6171-459: The Games's safety after the September 11 attacks by coordinating a $ 300 million security budget. He oversaw a $ 1.32 billion budget, 700 employees, and 26,000 volunteers. The federal government provided approximately $ 400 million to $ 600 million of that budget, much of it a result of Romney's having aggressively lobbied Congress and federal agencies. It was a record level of federal funding for

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6292-619: The LDS Church and the state. The appointment faced some initial criticism from both non-Mormons and Mormons that it represented cronyism and made the Games seem too Mormon-dominated. Romney donated to charity the $ 1.4 million in salary and severance payments he received for his three years as president and CEO, and also donated $ 1 million to the Olympics. Romney restructured the organization's leadership and policies. He reduced budgets and boosted fundraising, alleviating corporate sponsors' concerns while recruiting new ones. Romney worked to ensure

6413-563: The LDS Church, Romney ran as the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate in Massachusetts in 1994 and lost to the incumbent, Ted Kennedy . He then resumed his position at Bain Capital. Years later, a successful stint as president and CEO of the then-struggling Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the 2002 Winter Olympics led to a relaunch of his political career. Elected governor of Massachusetts in 2002 , Romney helped develop and later signed

6534-451: The New Hampshire and Florida primaries. After failing to win in Florida, Giuliani ended his campaign. McCain ultimately won the nomination after winning most of the primaries on Super Tuesday . He was officially nominated at the 2008 Republican National Convention on September 4, 2008, but went on to lose the general election to Barack Obama . Notes for the following table: Delegate counts

6655-409: The Republican nomination and general election, he became the first person in modern American history to be elected governor and U.S. senator of different states. Generally considered a moderate or more neoconservative Republican , Romney was the lone Republican to vote to convict Donald Trump in his first impeachment trial , making him the first senator ever to have voted to remove a president of

6776-593: The Republican nomination for the Senate seat, but Romney proved the most effective fundraiser. He won 68% of the vote at the May 1994 Massachusetts Republican Party convention; businessman John Lakian finished a distant second, eliminating Jeghelian. Romney defeated Lakian in the September 1994 primary with more than 80% of the vote. In the general election, Kennedy faced the first serious reelection challenge of his career. The younger, telegenic, and well-funded Romney ran as

6897-433: The Republican nomination in the 2008 presidential election , which he lost to Senator John McCain . Romney ran for president again four years later and was the Republican nominee in the 2012 presidential election , becoming the first LDS Church member to be a major party 's nominee. He lost the election to President Barack Obama . After reestablishing residency in Utah, Romney ran for U.S. Senate in 2018 . When Romney won

7018-408: The Republican nominee. Estimates showed him with 707 delegates – nearly 60% of the total needed to win the nomination. He began to appeal to disaffected conservatives, saying: "We share the common principles and values and ideas for the future of this country based on a fundamental conservative political philosophy, which has been my record." He also suggested that the right wing of the party "calm down

7139-592: The Republican presidential nomination on March 4, 2008, sweeping the primaries in Ohio , Texas , Rhode Island , and Vermont . That night, Mike Huckabee withdrew from the race and endorsed McCain. President George W. Bush invited Senator McCain to the White House for Bush's endorsement. Unlike in the Democratic Party, Republican members of Congress (including Senate members, House members, and non-voting delegates), and state governors are not automatically made delegates to

7260-457: The ad "as sloppy as it is factually incorrect", and FactCheck.org called the piece "misleading." McCain responded by saying, "It's not negative campaigning. I think it's what his record is." "It's a tough business," he added. The dominant issue in Michigan was the state of the economy. Michigan had by far the nation's largest unemployment rate, at 7.4 percent, and was continuing to lose jobs from its historical manufacturing base. McCain offered

7381-422: The advice of Bain Capital lawyers, Romney met the strikers, but told them he had no position of active authority in the matter. By 1999, Bain Capital was on its way to becoming one of the foremost private equity firms in the nation, having increased its number of partners from 5 to 18, with 115 employees and $ 4 billion under management. The firm's average annual internal rate of return on realized investments

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7502-403: The affluent suburb of Bloomfield Hills and his father became the chairman and CEO of American Motors the following year and helped the company avoid bankruptcy and return to profitability. By 1959, his father had become a nationally known figure in print and on television, and Mitt idolized him. Romney attended public elementary schools until seventh grade, when he enrolled as one of only

7623-543: The board of the Points of Light Foundation , which had embraced his father's National Volunteer Center . Romney felt restless as the decade neared a close; making more money held little attraction for him. Although no longer in a local leadership position in his church, he still taught Sunday School . During the long and controversial approval and construction process for the $ 30-million Mormon temple in Belmont , he feared that, as

7744-401: The car and carrier after the dog suffered a bout of diarrhea. The dog incident in particular later became fodder for Romney's critics and political opponents. In 1984, Romney left Bain & Company to co-found and lead the spin-off private equity investment firm Bain Capital. He initially refrained from accepting Bill Bain's offer to head the new venture until Bain rearranged the terms in

7865-526: The church's local lay clergy . In the early 1970s, he served in a ward bishopric. He then served for a time as a seminary teacher and then as a member of the stake high council of the Boston Stake while Richard L. Bushman was stake president. In 1977, he became a counselor to the president of the Boston Stake. He served as bishop of the ward at Belmont, Massachusetts, from 1981 to 1986. As such, in addition to home teaching , he also formulated Sunday services and classes using LDS scriptures to guide

7986-457: The committee had nearly $ 1 billion in committed revenues at that time. Olympics critic Steve Pace, who led Utahns for Responsible Public Spending, thought Romney exaggerated the initial fiscal state to lay the groundwork for a well-publicized rescue. Kenneth Bullock, another board member of the organizing committee and also head of the Utah League of Cities and Towns , often clashed with Romney at

8107-469: The congregation. After the destruction of the Belmont meetinghouse by a fire of suspicious origins in 1984, he forged links with other religious institutions, allowing the congregation to rotate its meetings to other houses of worship during the reconstruction of the Belmont building. From 1986 to 1994, Romney was president of the Boston Stake, which included more than a dozen wards in eastern Massachusetts and almost 4,000 church members. He organized

8228-551: The desire of some Massachusetts members to have a more flexible application of religious doctrine. He agreed with some requests from a liberal women's group that published Exponent II calling for changes in the way the church dealt with women, but he clashed with women he felt were departing too much from doctrine. In particular, he counseled women not to have abortions except in the rare cases allowed by LDS doctrine and encouraged unmarried women facing unplanned pregnancies to give their babies up for adoption. Romney later said that

8349-561: The disease, she found – while living in Park City , Utah, where the couple had built a vacation home – a combination of mainstream, alternative, and equestrian therapies that enabled her to lead a lifestyle mostly without limitations. When her husband received a job offer to take over the troubled organization responsible for the 2002 Winter Olympics and Paralympics , to be held in Salt Lake City in Utah, she urged him to accept it; eager for

8470-486: The early church . Romney has three older siblings: Margo, Jane, and Scott. Mitt was the youngest by nearly six years. His parents named him after a family friend, businessman J. Willard Marriott , and his father's cousin, Milton "Mitt" Romney , a former quarterback for the Chicago Bears . Romney was called "Billy" until kindergarten, when he expressed a preference for "Mitt". In 1953, the family moved from Detroit to

8591-461: The election with 58% of the vote to Romney's 41%, the smallest margin in any of Kennedy's reelection campaigns for the Senate. The day after the election, Romney returned to Bain Capital, but the loss had a lasting effect; he told his brother, "I never want to run for something again unless I can win." When his father died in 1995, Mitt donated his inheritance to BYU's George W. Romney Institute of Public Management . He also became vice-chair of

8712-573: The end McCain narrowly won by 14,743 or 3%, putting McCain as the frontrunner in Florida. Fred Thompson only placed third, even though he had started to campaign in South Carolina immediately after Iowa and before the other candidates had started campaigning there. He withdrew the next day. Rudy Giuliani campaigned heavily in Florida, which he expected to use as his "launch pad" for a "strong showing" on Super Tuesday . He campaigned almost entirely in Florida, and largely ignored South Carolina and other states voting before February 5. Polls taken before

8833-646: The end of his campaign, saying, "Now if I fight on in my campaign, all the way to the convention – (cheers, applause). I want you to know I've given this a lot of thought. I'd forestall the launch of a national campaign and, frankly, I'd be making it easier for Senator Clinton or Obama to win. Frankly, in this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign be a part of aiding a surrender to terror." McCain spoke about an hour later, again appealing to right-wing uncertainty about his ideology. He focused on his opposition to abortion and gun control, as well as his support for lower taxes and free-market health care solutions. He told

8954-544: The end, McCain finished second in the primary behind Romney, gaining 30 percent of the vote to Romney's 39 percent. Mitt Romney was heavily favored to win Nevada, leading 34% to 19% in polls. He exceeded expectations, earning 51% of the vote with Ron Paul beating out John McCain for second. Romney campaigned hard in Nevada and did not campaign in South Carolina, while the other leading Republican candidates, John McCain and Mike Huckabee , kept their focus on South Carolina. Nevada

9075-416: The firm concluded in early 2002; he transferred his ownership to other partners and negotiated an agreement that allowed him to receive a share of the profits as a retired partner in some Bain Capital entities, including buyout and investment funds. The private equity business continued to thrive, earning him millions of dollars in annual income. During his business career, Romney held several positions in

9196-441: The firm had concluded its role. Exactly how many jobs Bain Capital added compared to those lost because of these investments and buyouts is unknown, owing to a lack of records and Bain Capital's penchant for privacy for itself and its investors. Maximizing the value of acquired companies and the return to Bain's investors, not job creation, was the firm's primary investment goal. Bain Capital's acquisition of Ampad exemplified

9317-489: The firm to keep people motivated, often keeping less than 10% for himself. Data-driven, he often played the role of a devil's advocate during exhaustive analysis of whether to go forward with a deal. He wanted to drop a Bain Capital hedge fund that initially lost money, but other partners disagreed with him and it eventually made billions. He opted out of the Artisan Entertainment deal, not wanting to profit from

9438-601: The firm to return substantial amounts, and persuaded creditors, including the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation , to accept less than full payment. Within about a year, he led Bain & Company to a return to profitability. He then turned it over to new leadership and returned to Bain Capital in December 1992. Romney took a leave of absence from Bain Capital from November 1993 to November 1994 to run for U.S. Senate. During that time, Ampad workers went on strike and asked Romney to intervene. Against

9559-439: The firm, and conducting prolonged negotiations for the terms of his departure. He did not involve himself in the firm's day-to-day operations or the investment decisions of its new private equity funds. He retained his position on several boards of directors during this time and regularly returned to Massachusetts to attend meetings. In August 2001, Romney announced that he would not return to Bain Capital. His separation from

9680-542: The following day. Nominating Contests Held – 21 Pledged Delegates at Stake – 901 Delegate Standing on February 7 On January 31 McCain received the endorsement of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and began campaigning with him. This was a key endorsement, as California was one of the Super Tuesday states and had more delegates than any other state. The same day, Governor Rick Perry of Texas threw his support behind McCain. Perry had previously been

9801-683: The frontrunner. Alan Keyes and former Senator and actor Fred Thompson entered the race later in September. The first to drop out of the race was former Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore in July. After that Tommy Thompson also dropped out in August after finishing sixth in the Ames Iowa straw poll. Then pro-life advocate Sam Brownback dropped out of the race in October. In December, staunch illegal-immigration opponent Tom Tancredo and businessman John H. Cox also left

9922-440: The layoffs that sometimes occurred, Romney said in 2007: "Sometimes the medicine is a little bitter but it is necessary to save the life of the patient. My job was to try and make the enterprise successful, and in my view the best security a family can have is that the business they work for is strong." In 1990, facing financial collapse, Bain & Company asked Romney to return. Announced as its new CEO in January 1991, he drew

10043-622: The lead with 31%, followed by Romney with 30%, Giuliani with 15%, Huckabee with 13%, and Paul with 4%. Former Senator Fred Thompson and Rep. Duncan Hunter , though already out of the race, still remained on the ballot in the Florida primary. McCain was able to ride a last-minute endorsement by then-Republican Governor Charlie Crist to a five-point victory on January 29. He took all 57 delegates in Florida's winner-take-all contest. (The state's delegate total had been reduced by half due to RNC rules about primaries held before February 5.) Giuliani, having banked heavily on Florida, ended his campaign

10164-399: The nomination. Mike Huckabee needed to win South Carolina for his campaign to remain viable. RealClearPolitics reported that the average support from polls placed McCain in the lead with 27%, followed by Huckabee with 25%, Romney with 15%, Thompson with 15%, Paul with 4%, and Giuliani with 3%. Thompson started attacking Mike Huckabee heavily, questioning his conservative credentials. But in

10285-455: The nomination. On February 14, Mitt Romney officially endorsed McCain and asked his approximately 280 delegates to support him at the national convention. If all or most of Romney's delegates backed McCain, it would give him nearly enough to win the nomination, with several large states still yet to vote. Despite these developments, Huckabee vowed to stay in the race. "I may get beat, but I'm not going to quit," he said. A few days later, McCain

10406-670: The party's national convention, however their endorsements can hold sway on voters in caucuses and primaries. Each state's two members of the Republican National Committee, and the party chairs of each U.S. state and the District of Columbia , Puerto Rico , American Samoa , Guam , the U.S. Virgin Islands , and Northern Mariana Islands are the only automatic delegates to the party's national convention. These superdelegates while officially uncommitted, may also publicly endorse

10527-580: The potomac primary McCain became the presumptive nominee. Candidates are listed by delegate counts. Republican candidates in the 2008 U.S. presidential election campaigned for the nomination of their party in a series of primary elections and caucus events. Unlike the Democratic Party , which mandates a proportional representation for delegate selection, the Republican Party has no such limitation. For states with primaries, some states choose to use

10648-524: The primary showed that John McCain was the slight front runner over Mitt Romney. Giuliani had been campaigning with virtually no opposition; however, following the South Carolina Republican primary, 2008 , several candidates flew down to Florida to begin campaigning up to January 29 when the primary occurred. RealClearPolitics reported that the average support from polls taken in the days immediately prior to primary day placed McCain slightly in

10769-572: The private Kingswood School , Cranbrook's sister school. The two became informally engaged around the time he graduated from high school in June 1965. Romney attended Stanford University during the 1965–1966 academic year. He was not part of the counterculture of the 1960s then taking form in the San Francisco Bay Area . As opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War grew,

10890-593: The race for the 2008 presidential nomination was wide open. It officially began in March 2006 when John H. Cox became the first candidate to enter the 2008 race. The Democratic takeover of both houses of Congress and President Bush's unpopularity were strong issues for the GOP field. At the beginning of 2007, the announced Republican field was former Governor of Wisconsin and Cabinet member Tommy Thompson , former Governor of Virginia Jim Gilmore , and Senator of Kansas Sam Brownback . Former senator of Virginia George Allen

11011-642: The race. On January 3, 2008, the Iowa caucuses began. The final averaged polling results from Real Clear Politics showed Mike Huckabee at 30%, Romney at 27%, McCain and Thompson tied at 12%, Paul at 7%, and Giuliani at 6%. Among those surveyed in Exit Polling data, 45% cited themselves as very conservative and voted for Huckabee 35% to Romney's 23% and Thompson's 22%. Among those who called themselves "somewhat conservative" (43%), Huckabee won 34% to Romney's 27% and McCain's 18%. Final Results showed Huckabee swept much of

11132-512: The result would have been a brokered convention. With the media declaring McCain the "presumptive nominee", McCain began to focus on the Democrats, particularly leading candidate Barack Obama, in anticipation of the general election. The day after McCain's Potomac sweep, the Kansas City Star published a list of people who have been mentioned as possible McCain running mates , if he secured

11253-480: The results, Huckabee decided to focus on the South Carolina primary, while both McCain and Romney went to Michigan where polls showed a competitive race between the two. With different winners in Iowa and New Hampshire – and Mitt Romney taking the lower-profile Wyoming caucus – the January 15 Michigan primary loomed as an important battle. Polls after New Hampshire showed a tight race between McCain and Romney, with Huckabee

11374-531: The same party from office. Romney also voted to convict in Trump's second trial in 2021. He marched alongside Black Lives Matter protestors, voted to confirm both Amy Coney Barrett and Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court , supported gun control measures, and did not vote for Trump in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections. He has long been hawkish on issues such as Iran , China , and Russia , and

11495-461: The staging of a U.S. Olympics. An additional $ 1.1 billion of indirect federal funding came to the state in the form of highway and transit projects. Romney emerged as the local public face of the Olympic effort, appearing in photographs, in news stories, on collectible Olympics pins depicting him wrapped by an American flag, and on buttons carrying phrases like "Hey, Mitt, we love you!" Organizing committee chair Robert H. Garff later said, "It

11616-668: The state capitol . At Cranbrook, Romney helped manage the ice hockey team, and joined the pep squad . During his senior year, he joined the cross country running team. He belonged to 11 school organizations and school clubs , including the Blue Key Club, a booster group he had started. During his final year there, his academic record improved but fell short of excellence. Romney was involved in several pranks while attending Cranbrook. He has since apologized for them, stating that some of them may have gone too far. In March of his senior year, he began dating Ann Davies ; she attended

11737-517: The state with the exception of the western and eastern portions of the state which included Davenport , Cedar Rapids , as well as Sioux City . Romney swept the eastern and western portions of the state and Paul took one southern county. The final results in Iowa were Huckabee with 34%, Romney with 25%, Thompson and McCain each with 13%, Paul with 10% and Giuliani with 4%. In the New Hampshire Primary, both McCain and Romney had gambled much on

11858-665: The state's delegates and the largest of the Super Tuesday prizes, winning nearly all of California's 173 delegates. McCain also scored wins in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey, New York and Oklahoma. Huckabee also made surprise wins in states he had polled behind in previously like Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee. Huckabee also won the first contest of Super Tuesday in West Virginia. Romney won his home state of Massachusetts. He also won Utah, Colorado, and Minnesota. The next day, McCain appeared confident that he would be

11979-603: The state's delegates to the national convention. Only 14,016 votes were cast, and the McCain campaign expressed no concern over the lightly attended caucus. However, social conservatives had a strong presence in the Kansas Republican party, and the results served to highlight conservative dissatisfaction with the Senator. Louisiana was much closer, but Huckabee won there as well, beating McCain by less than one percentage point. McCain

12100-524: The state. McCain had staked much on his grassroots efforts in the state he won in 2000, as well as the state with one of the most independent voting blocks which was McCain's strong suit. Romney, coming from neighboring Massachusetts was known by many in New Hampshire and even owned a home in the state of New Hampshire. Pre-Primary polling showed McCain with a slight edge (32–28%) with Huckabee leading Giuliani for third (12–9%). On Primary night, McCain won 37–32% and Huckabee beat Giuliani for third 11–9%. After

12221-499: The time, and later said that Romney deserved some credit for the turnaround but not as much as he claimed. Bullock said: "He tried very hard to build an image of himself as a savior, the great white hope. He was very good at characterizing and castigating people and putting himself on a pedestal." 2008 Republican Party presidential primaries George W. Bush John McCain From January 3 to June 3, 2008, voters of

12342-470: The top third of his law school class. After receiving his JD–MBA from Harvard, Romney passed the Michigan bar exam but decided to pursue a career in business rather than law. He was recruited by several large companies but joined the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), reasoning that working as a management consultant for a variety of companies would better prepare him for a future position as

12463-701: The unpopularity of the Democratic Congress as a whole, and in part because this was Kennedy's first election since the William Kennedy Smith trial in Florida, in which Kennedy's reputation had suffered. Romney changed his affiliation to Republican in October 1993 and formally announced his candidacy in February 1994. In addition to his leave from Bain Capital , Romney also stepped down from his church leadership role in 1994. Radio personality Janet Jeghelian took an early lead in polls among candidates for

12584-472: The upheaval of that era. He became president of the Cougar Club booster organization and showed a newfound discipline in his studies. During his senior year, he took a leave of absence to work as driver and advance man for his mother's unsuccessful U.S. Senate campaign; together, they visited all 83 Michigan counties . Romney graduated from BYU in 1971 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and

12705-498: The war. During the U.S. military draft for the Vietnam War, Romney sought and received two 2-S student deferments , then a 4-D ministerial deferment while living in France as a missionary. He later sought and received two additional student deferments. When those ran out, he drew number 300 in the December 1969 draft lottery , ensuring he would not be drafted. At culturally conservative BYU, Romney remained separated from much of

12826-418: The years spent as an LDS minister gave him direct exposure to people struggling financially and empathy for those with family problems. For much of his business career, Romney did not take public political stances. He had kept abreast of national politics since college, and the circumstances of his father's presidential campaign loss had irked him for decades. He registered as an Independent and voted in

12947-487: Was 113% and its average yearly return to investors was around 50–80%. Starting in February 1999, Romney took a paid leave of absence from Bain Capital in order to serve as the president and CEO of the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Games Organizing Committee . Billed in some public statements as keeping a part-time role, Romney remained the firm's sole shareholder, managing director, CEO, and president, signing corporate and legal documents, attending to his interests within

13068-568: Was 90 percent Democrat, by simply echoing the voices of others. I did it by staking out a choice, stating that choice, making that choice and fighting for that choice, to believe that some things were right, some things were wrong, and it's better to be right and even to not win than it is to be wrong and to be a part of the crowd." February 9 saw voting in Louisiana , Kansas and Washington state. Huckabee won an easy victory in Kansas, claiming all 36 of

13189-497: Was a native of Logan, Utah , and his father was born to American parents in a Mormon colony in Chihuahua , Mexico. Of primarily English descent, he also has Scottish and German ancestry. A fifth-generation member of the LDS Church, he is a great-grandson of Miles Park Romney and a great-great-grandson of Miles Romney , who converted to Mormonism in its first decade. Another great-great-grandfather, Parley P. Pratt , helped lead

13310-660: Was considered a top contender until his loss in the midterm elections. He announced on December 10, 2006, that he would not seek the 2008 nomination. In early January former Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney announced he was forming an exploratory committee. Afterwards several others announced they were running, including U.S. Congressman Ron Paul , Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, Rudy Giuliani of New York City, U.S. Senator John McCain , U.S. Congressman Duncan Hunter , and U.S. Congressman Tom Tancredo . A poll released in early February had Giuliani leading with 32% and John McCain second with 18%. By early March, Giuliani had become

13431-417: Was declared the winner of the Washington caucuses, where 18 delegates were at stake. The February 19 primary would determine the other 19 delegates from the state. When McCain was declared the winner of the caucuses, with a lead of only 242 (3,468 to 3,226) over Huckabee and counting stopped with only 87% of the precincts reporting, Huckabee's campaign indicated that they would challenge the results. Next up

13552-643: Was endorsed by former President George H. W. Bush , in a move intended to shore up his support among base party elements. On February 19, McCain continued his winning ways, picking up wins over Huckabee in the Wisconsin primary and the Washington state primary . McCain and Barack Obama engaged in a pointed exchange over Al-Qaeda in Iraq on February 27. Nominating Contests Held – 4 Pledged Delegates at Stake – 261 Delegate Standing on March 5 CNN had cancelled

13673-487: Was hired by Bain & Company , a management consulting firm in Boston formed a few years earlier by Bill Bain and several other ex-BCG employees. Bain later said of the 30-year-old Romney, "He had the appearance of confidence of a guy who was maybe ten years older." Unlike other consulting firms, which issued recommendations and then departed, Bain & Company immersed itself in a client's businesses and worked with them until changes were implemented. Romney became

13794-451: Was hit by another vehicle, Romney was seriously injured. The crash killed one of his passengers, the wife of the mission president. Romney then became co-president of a mission that had become demoralized and disorganized after the May 1968 general strike and student uprisings and the car accident. With Romney rallying the others, the mission met its goal of 200 baptisms for the year, the most in

13915-516: Was ineligible to be elected to a third term due to the term limits established by the 22nd Amendment . In a crowded primary of several prominent Republicans eyeing the nomination, former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani was the early frontrunner. However, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee won the Iowa Caucuses as he gained momentum just two months prior to the primary. Moderate U.S. Senator and former presidential candidate John McCain won

14036-466: Was no exception: he later estimated 10 to 20 for his entire mission. He initially became demoralized and later recalled it as the only time when "most of what I was trying to do was rejected." Romney soon gained recognition within the mission for the many homes he called on and the repeat visits he was granted. He became a zone leader in Bordeaux in early 1968, and soon thereafter became an assistant to

14157-420: Was not subject to the Republican party cutting in half the number of delegates the state can send to the national convention, and neither was South Carolina. However, Nevada had more delegates at stake than South Carolina. A win in Nevada extended Romney's lead in total delegates. Nevada's large Mormon population helped Romney win the state. After coming last in this caucus, Duncan Hunter withdrew his bid for

14278-472: Was now serving in President Richard Nixon's cabinet as United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development . In a June 1970 newspaper profile of children of cabinet members, Mitt said that U.S. involvement in the war had been misguided – "If it wasn't a political blunder to move into Vietnam, I don't know what is" – but supported Nixon's ongoing Cambodian Incursion as a sincere attempt to end

14399-450: Was obvious that he had an agenda larger than just the Olympics", and that Romney wanted to use the Olympics to propel himself into the national spotlight and a political career. Garff believed the initial budget situation was not as bad as Romney portrayed, given there were still three years to reorganize. Utah Senator Bob Bennett said that much of the needed federal money was already in place. A Boston Globe analysis later found that

14520-406: Was some speculation that I might come here today to announce that I would be getting out of the race. But I want to make sure you understand. Am I quitting? Well, let's get that settled right now. No, I'm not. And the reason is simple – I never learned arithmetic. You see folks, while I didn't get a college degree in mathematics and writing, I majored in miracles. Mathematically impossible miracles. It

14641-540: Was the Potomac primary on February 12, with voting in Virginia , Maryland and the District of Columbia . McCain swept the three races and took all 113 delegates which were at stake. The next day, the McCain camp released a memo calling a Huckabee win "mathematically impossible." In truth, however, it was not impossible. In fact, if Huckabee failed to reach 1191 delegates but succeeded in keeping McCain from reaching 1191, then

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