Mitt Romney
Bio | Mitt Romney is an American Republican politician and businessman who earned his degrees from Brigham Young University and Harvard University. Prior to his time in politics, Romney worked as CEO of Bain & Company in Boston, MA. He currently serves as a Senator for the state of Utah and previously served as the 70th Governor of Massachusetts. Romney was also elected as the Republican nominee for President in the 2012 election, eventually losing to Incumbent President Obama. |
Status and Position | Current US Senator of Utah |
Political Party and Jurisdiction | Republican, Utah |
Elections | Election Jurisdiction | Started Campaign | Campaign Status | Poll Rankings (of the vote) |
| 2024 Senate Election Utah 2 | Utah 2 | No | N/A | N/A |
Campaign Financing | Romney's campaign has been funded mostly by individual contributions (about 74%), with a small amount coming from unspecified sources (about 24%) and PACs (about 2%). Source: https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/summary?cid=N00000286&cycle=2020 |
Voting Rights | Romney has not said much on the subject of voting rights, however he has argued against claims that voting by mail is fraudulent and calls for national security efforts to prevent foreign countries from meddling with elections. Source: https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-u-s-news-general-elections-ut-state-wire-united-states-e45088b19db634fc99618655fd07e077 |
Opinions on Issues
Issues | Stance | Summary |
| Universal Healthcare | Against | Romney sees Obamacare and universal healthcare systems as overly costly and instead advocates to lower the cost of healthcare so that individuals can afford to buy it. Source: https://khn.org/news/romney-republican-candidate-on-health-care/, https://www.romney.senate.gov/issues/healthcare Romney sees a universal healthcare system as not only costly through the raising of taxes but also an overstep of government. He believes that patients should be able to own their insurance but do so affordably. Source: https://khn.org/news/romney-republican-candidate-on-health-care/, https://www.romney.senate.gov/issues/healthcare |
| Socialized Healthcare | Nuance | Although Romney is not supportive of universal healthcare, he supports some socialized healthcare measures such as reduced prescription drug costs and the expansion of Medicare. Source: https://khn.org/news/romney-republican-candidate-on-health-care/, https://www.romney.senate.gov/issues/healthcare |
| Private Healthcare | For | Romney supports a privatized healthcare system in which the government is not involved, save for Medicare, and establish health savings accounts to help Americans save for and afford their health insurance. Source: https://khn.org/news/romney-republican-candidate-on-health-care/, https://www.romney.senate.gov/issues/healthcare |
| LGBT Rights | Nuance | Romney opposes the legalization of same-sex marriage, however he supports equality under the law in terms of employment and housing for LGBTQ+ individuals. Source: https://www.npr.org/2012/05/10/152431577/romneys-views-on-gay-marriage-also-evolving Romney does not support sex- or gender-based discrimination, but he has stated that he sees marriage as strictly between a man and a woman and therefore does not support the legalization of same-sex marriage. Source: https://www.npr.org/2012/05/10/152431577/romneys-views-on-gay-marriage-also-evolving |
| Taxes | Nuance | Romney supports a "fair and simple" tax system, which he sees as one which taxes based on income, with higher-earning individuals paying more and lower-earning individuals paying less in taxes. Source: https://www.romney.senate.gov/issues/taxes Romney supports taxation based on income, and opposes tax cuts for the wealthy while encouraging tax cuts for businesses in order to raise employees' wages--all policies that he believes will stimulate economic growth. Source: https://www.romney.senate.gov/issues/taxes |
| Flat Tax Rate | Against | Romney believes individuals should be taxes based on income, which higher-earning individuals paying more in taxes than lower-earning individuals. Source: https://www.romney.senate.gov/issues/taxes Romney supports taxation based on income, and opposes tax cuts for the wealthy while encouraging tax cuts for businesses in order to raise employees' wages--all policies that he believes will stimulate economic growth. Source: https://www.romney.senate.gov/issues/taxes |
| Abortion | Against | Romney is strongly against the legalization of abortion, making an exception in cases of rape or to protect the life of the mother, despite his past views in favor of abortion. Source: https://www.romney.senate.gov/issues/life-family-religion, https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/OTUS/mitt-romneys-abortion-evolution/story?id=17443452 Romney opposes legalized and taxpayer-funded abortion services and supports the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which prohibits abortion after 20 weeks, the time at which evidence suggests a fetus can feel pain. In the past few decades, Romney's view on abortion has shifted from being pro-choice to pro-life. Source: https://www.romney.senate.gov/issues/life-family-religion, https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/OTUS/mitt-romneys-abortion-evolution/story?id=17443452 |
| Gun Control | Nuance | Romney is a strong supporter of the second amendment and believes that gun laws and school safety measures should be established at the state level. Source: https://www.romney.senate.gov/issues/second-amendment Romney opposes efforts to restrict the public selling and use of guns, however he does support background checks and the prohibition of bump stocks for public sale. Source: https://www.romney.senate.gov/issues/second-amendment |
| Assisted Suicide | Unknown | No clear stance on issue. Romney opposes efforts to restrict the public selling and use of guns, however he does support background checks and the prohibition of bump stocks for public sale. Source: https://www.romney.senate.gov/issues/second-amendment |
| Government Interference | Against | Romney has opposed government regulation of the economy and interference with the healthcare system. Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/romney-to-unveil-plan-for-jobs-economy/2011/09/06/gIQAMUWl6J_story.html, https://web.archive.org/web/20120809020538/http://finance.yahoo.com/news/romney-promises-12-million-jobs-223400906.html, https://khn.org/news/romney-republican-candidate-on-health-care/ |
| Planned Parenthood | Against | Romney opposes legalized abortion services and seeks to block federal funding and taxpayer-funding to organizations such as Planned Parenthood which provide these services. Source: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/OTUS/mitt-romneys-abortion-evolution/story?id=17443452 |
| Welfare | Against | Romney has opposed welfare measures, arguing that jobs and paychecks are more effective than government money in assisting the poor. Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/07/us/politics/08romney-transcript.html, https://www.foxnews.com/story/transcript-mitt-romney-on-fox-news-sunday Romney has expressed concern that welfare has created a "culture of poverty" and that it incentivizes Americans to not work. He proposes that those receiving welfare should be required to work in order to avoid this issue. Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/07/us/politics/08romney-transcript.html, https://www.foxnews.com/story/transcript-mitt-romney-on-fox-news-sunday |
| Welfare | Unknown | No clear stance on issue. |
| Death Penalty | For | Romney supports the death penalty and has proposed a version of it that aims to guarantee it is only used on those who are undoubtedly guilty. Source: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/romney-proposed-foolproof-death-penalty-in-mass/ Romney's proposal of a "foolproof" death penalty requires the restriction of capital punishment to the most severe offenses such as terrorism and murder, 100% certainty of guilt, and physical evidence/a DNA-link to the crime. Source: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/romney-proposed-foolproof-death-penalty-in-mass/ |
| Mandatory Prison Sentence | For | Romney supports mandatory minimum sentencing as well as the appeal of sentencing considered to be not punitive enough by prosecutors. Source: https://www.boston.com/news/national-news/2015/05/04/mitt-romney-doesnt-think-mass-incarceration-is-a-real-thing |
| Military Spending | For | Romney strongly favors military spending, advocating for the increased funding of the Ground Based Strategic Deterrant Program (GBSD), repairs and maintenance for military bases, and an overall strengthening of the armed forces. He has also called for the depoliticization of military spending, advocating for military leaders rather than politicians to have authority over which programs received federal funding. Source: https://www.romney.senate.gov/issues/foreign-policy |
| War on Terrorism | For | Romney has called not just to protect against terrorism from extremist groups, but to completely eradicate the Islamic State to prevent against future threats. Source: https://www.cnn.com/2015/11/16/politics/mitt-romney-isis-islamic-state/index.htmlR |
| Foreign Policy International Interaction | For | Romney's foreign policy calls for both military action against perceived threats as well as diplomatic relations between allies and friendly nations . Source: https://www.romney.senate.gov/issues/foreign-policy Romney is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and also serves as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, and Counterterrorism. As such, he regularly communicates with and travels to ally countries in order to further American interests and address national security threats. He advocates for cooperation and diplomacy between friendly countries, but stands by the use of force and military action against any nation perceived as a threat to national security. Source: https://www.romney.senate.gov/issues/foreign-policy |
| United Nations power | Against | Romney sees the United Nations as ineffective and has criticized the UN's inability to intervene in global conflicts. He has proposed that the United States withdraw its membership from the UN Human Rights Council. Source: https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/candidates-united-nations |
| Nationalism | Against | Romney has supported the formation of alliances and diplomatic relationships with other countries to protect against dominating countries such as China, explaining that “This whole nationalism idea … is the exact opposite of what we need as we confront an emerging China.” Source: https://www.du.edu/news/mitt-romney-and-anders-fogh-rasmussen-talk-democracy-du |
| Free Markets | For | Romney seeks to protect and strengthen the free-market economy, viewing government overregulation of the economy as harmful to economic freedom and growth. Source: https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2011/jun/02/mitt-romney/mitt-romney-says-us-only-inches-away-ceasing-be-fr/, https://news.uchicago.edu/story/economic-policy-forum-mitt-romney-focuses-governments-role-economy Romney has criticized the use of government welfare, excessive government regulations, and interference in the economy, explaining that “When the heavy hand of government replaces the invisible hand of the market, economic freedom is the inevitable victim." Source: https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2011/jun/02/mitt-romney/mitt-romney-says-us-only-inches-away-ceasing-be-fr/, https://news.uchicago.edu/story/economic-policy-forum-mitt-romney-focuses-governments-role-economy |
| Brexit | Unknown | No clear stance on issue. |
| Affirmative Action | Nuance | Romney has been very dismissive of addressing affirmative action, often declining to comment on civil rights issues. He came under fire after releasing an executive order which cut back Massachusetts affirmative action policies, but eventually he relinquished the order due to public outcry and left the old policy unchanged. Source: https://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2012/10/09/romney-stays-away-from-affirmative-action-case/, http://archive.boston.com/news/politics/articles/2012/06/02/romney_scuttled_revived_mass_affirmative_action/ |
| Government Spending | Nuance | Romney is largely against government spending, citing the nation's debt as a huge concern. However, he does believe the defense budget and military spending are worth investing in if it means protecting the nation's security, and advocates that military leaders have say in which programs get funded, not politicians. Source: https://www.romney.senate.gov/issues/budget-debt |
| Charter Schools | For | Romney supports charter schools, seeing them as an important contributor to parental educational choice and increasing academic expectations for children. He has opposed several measures aimed at defunding and decreasing the prevalence of public charters, including the Massachusetts cap on charter schools abd the suspension of charter grants, and has supported increasing the budget allocated to charter schools. Source: https://www.publiccharters.org/latest-news/2012/05/24/romney-and-obama-debate-education-agree-public-charter-schools |
| Common Core | Against | Romney is against the Common Core standards, arguing that it allows the federal government to be involved in the oversight of local educational curriculum. Souce: https://edsource.org/2012/romneys-right-to-oppose-common-core-even-if-wrong-on-facts/21935, https://www.romney.senate.gov/issues/education Romney seeks to shift political authority over education from the federal government to the states and argues that Common Core gives the federal government too much say in an issue that should be left to the states. Source: https://edsource.org/2012/romneys-right-to-oppose-common-core-even-if-wrong-on-facts/21935, https://www.romney.senate.gov/issues/education |
| Clean Energy | For | Romney supports clean energy initiatives, advocating for greater efficiency standards, advancements in clean energy such as "clean coal", and innovations from the private sector. Source: https://www.romney.senate.gov/issues/energy Clean energy initiatives supported by Romney include greater efficiency standards for household utilities, cars, and industries,; the pursuit of "clean coal"; advancements in clean energy research; and global, bipartisan collaboration in addressing the issue of climate change. Source: https://www.romney.senate.gov/issues/energy |
| Religious Freedom | For | Romney supports religious freedom domestically and globally and advocates that the US take action to ensure human rights are protected, including the right to religious freedom. Source: https://www.deseret.com/2019/7/1/8935248/utah-sen-mitt-romney-just-got-a-primer-on-international-religious-freedom-from-ambassador-sam-brownb#utah-senator-mitt-romney-presents-gail-miller-owner-of-the-utah-jazz-far-right-with-the-horizon-award-during-the-2019-gold-medal-ceremony-at-the-u-s-capitol-visitor-center-in-washington-d-c-on-thursday-june-20-2019 Romney has said that "The persecution of religious minorities continues to be a feature of authoritarianism and a feature of populism." He sees religious persecution as a violation of human rights and a concern the US should address through its foreign policy. Source: https://www.deseret.com/2019/7/1/8935248/utah-sen-mitt-romney-just-got-a-primer-on-international-religious-freedom-from-ambassador-sam-brownb#utah-senator-mitt-romney-presents-gail-miller-owner-of-the-utah-jazz-far-right-with-the-horizon-award-during-the-2019-gold-medal-ceremony-at-the-u-s-capitol-visitor-center-in-washington-d-c-on-thursday-june-20-2019 |
| Separation of Church and State | Nuance | While Romney does not believe there should be a government-manded religion, he views the current application of the separation of church and state as going "too far" by treating religion as solely a private affair. He believes that religion should be able to exist in the public sphere, without any specific religion being mandated or prohibited by the government. Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/mitt-romney-the-separation-of-church-and-state-has-gone-too-far-2012-8 |
| Slavery Reparations | Nuance | Romney has been alleged to have credited Obama's victory with handouts to minorities. He has also openly opposed welfare initiatives and financial assistance, seeking to contain the reach of federal government on the economy. Source: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/14/romney-blames-loss-on-obamas-gifts-to-minorities-and-young-voters/, https://prospect.org/power/romney-says-lost-obama-gave-gifts-blacks-latinos/, https://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/07/us/politics/08romney-transcript.html, https://www.foxnews.com/story/transcript-mitt-romney-on-fox-news-sunday |
| Border Control | For | Romney is highly supportive of border control measures, advocating for a physical barrier at the Southern border and more stringent immigration restrictions and requirements. Source: https://www.romney.senate.gov/issues/immigration Romney sees a physical barrier at the Southern border and technological innovations to verify the legal status of employees as important measures to promote national security. He also believes that the immigration system should be merit-based, with those holding technical skills or a professional degree given preference and pathways to citizenship over those without these merits. Source: https://www.romney.senate.gov/issues/immigration |
| Passenger Profiling | Against | Romney joined the Black Lives Matter march in Washington in light of the killing of George Floyd and public outcry over police brutality, and proposed a bill which addresses racial profiling by law enforcement through the establishment of supervisory boards to hold officers accountable. Source: https://apnews.com/article/6cbffdea6aa24645d8f8ab363c4b3648, https://www.politico.com/news/2020/06/08/romney-police-reform-307733 |
| DACA | Nuance | Romney supports giving DREAMers legal status under DACA, however he opposes the establishment of a legal pathway towards citizenship for these individuals. Source: https://www.romney.senate.gov/issues/immigration |
| Sanctuary Cities | Against | Romney opposes sanctuary cities, seeing them as major attractions for illegal immigrants and encouraging citizens to not comply with immigration law. Source: https://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/08/21/romney.immigration.ad/, https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=3459498&page=1 |
| Legalizing Marijuana | Against | Romney believes further research and FDA-evaluation needs to be done before marijuana can be approved for medicinal use, and opposes the recreational use of marijuana. Source: https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2018/09/24/romney-wilson-split-utahs/ |