Challenges in the Life of Mitt Romney in a Detailed Timeline
Resilience and perseverance in the journey of Mitt Romney. A timeline of obstacles and growth.
Mitt Romney is an American businessman and former politician. He served as a U.S. Senator for Utah (2019-2025) and as the 70th Governor of Massachusetts (2003-2007). A member of the Republican Party, he was the party's nominee for President of the United States in 2012, losing to incumbent Barack Obama. Prior to his political career, Romney had a successful business career, including co-founding Bain Capital, a private equity investment firm.
May 1968: Student Uprisings
In May 1968, Romney experienced the May 1968 general strike and student uprisings while in France.
June 1968: Car Accident in France
In June 1968, while in southern France, Mitt Romney was seriously injured in a car accident that killed one of his passengers.
1990: Bain & Company Faces Financial Collapse
In 1990, Bain & Company faced financial collapse and asked Romney to return to lead the company.
September 1994: Senate Race About Even
By mid-September 1994, polls showed the race between Kennedy and Romney about even.
1994: Lost U.S. Senate Election
In 1994, Mitt Romney ran as the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate in Massachusetts, but lost to Ted Kennedy.
1994: Attempt to Overcome Damaged Image
In 1994, Mitt Romney's campaign staged "work days" to overcome the image of a wealthy corporate buyout specialist. He performed blue-collar jobs, but TV ads highlighting these efforts received a poor public response.
1998: Ann Romney Diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis
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.
1999: Filed Tax Returns as Utah Resident
In 1999, Romney filed state tax returns as a Utah resident, which was later used to challenge his eligibility to run for governor of Massachusetts in 2002.
2000: Filed Tax Returns as Utah Resident
In 2000, Romney filed state tax returns as a Utah resident, which was later used to challenge his eligibility to run for governor of Massachusetts in 2002.
June 2002: Romney's Eligibility Challenged
In June 2002, the Massachusetts Democratic Party challenged Romney's eligibility to run for governor. They noted that state law required seven years' consecutive residence and that Romney had filed his state tax returns as a Utah resident in 1999 and 2000.
November 2006: Job Approval Rating
In November 2006, Mitt Romney's job approval rating stood at 34 percent, ranking 48th of the 50 U.S. governors.
2007: Republican Candidates
For the first half of 2007, Mitt Romney was little-known nationally, and hovered around 10% support in Republican preference polls.
2007: Romney Discusses Layoffs at Bain Capital
In 2007, Romney addressed the layoffs that sometimes occurred due to Bain Capital's leveraged buyouts, stating that while the "medicine is a little bitter," it's necessary to save the enterprise and that his job was to try and make the enterprise successful.
January 3, 2008: Iowa Republican Caucuses
On January 3, 2008, Mitt Romney took second place in the Iowa Republican caucuses, losing to Huckabee.
2008: Lost Republican Presidential Nomination
In 2008, Mitt Romney lost the Republican nomination in the presidential election to Senator John McCain.
2008: Ann Romney Diagnosed with Cancer
In late 2008, Ann Romney was diagnosed with mammary ductal carcinoma in situ and underwent a lumpectomy.
2008: Campaign Marked by Flip-Flopping Charges
Romney's 2008 campaign was marked by accusations of flip-flopping.
March 2010: Attacked the Affordable Care Act
Immediately after the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in March 2010, Mitt Romney criticized it as an "unconscionable abuse of power" and called for its repeal.
November 2011: Addressed Flip-Flopping Charges
In November 2011, after charges of flip-flopping that marked his 2008 campaign began to accumulate again, Mitt Romney stated, "I've been as consistent as human beings can be."
2012: Republican Presidential Nominee
In 2012, Mitt Romney was the Republican nominee in the presidential election, but lost the election to President Barack Obama.
March 3, 2016: Romney's Scathing Attack on Donald Trump
On March 3, 2016, Mitt Romney delivered a speech at the Hinckley Institute of Politics, launching a strong attack on Donald Trump's character, business record, and policy stances, calling him a "con man" and a "phony".
2017: Treated for Prostate Cancer
In the summer of 2017, Mitt Romney was treated for prostate cancer.
April 21, 2018: Romney Finished Second at State Convention
On April 21, 2018, at the state Republican nominating convention, Mitt Romney received 1,585 delegate votes (49.1%), finishing second to Mike Kennedy.
November 9, 2019: Romney Declined to Co-Sponsor Resolution Opposing Impeachment Inquiry
On November 9, 2019, Mitt Romney was one of the few Republican senators who declined to co-sponsor a resolution opposing the impeachment inquiry process into President Trump.
February 5, 2020: Romney Voted to Convict Trump
On February 5, 2020, Mitt Romney broke with the Republican party and voted to convict President Trump in his first impeachment trial, becoming the first U.S. Senator to vote to convict a president of the same party.
July 2020: Condemnation of Trump's Commutation of Roger Stone's Sentence
In July 2020, Romney criticized President Trump's decision to commute Roger Stone's sentence, labeling it as "Unprecedented, historic corruption."
January 5, 2021: Romney Heckled at Airport
On January 5, 2021, Mitt Romney was heckled and harassed at the airport en route to Washington, D.C., by Trump supporters who accused him of not supporting Trump's claims of election fraud.
February 13, 2021: Romney Voted to Convict Trump in Second Impeachment Trial
On February 13, 2021, Mitt Romney voted to convict Donald Trump for the second time along with six of his Republican colleagues.
2021: Profile in Courage Award
In 2021, Romney received the Profile in Courage Award for being the only member of his party to vote to convict Donald Trump during his first impeachment trial.
2021: Romney Condemned Capitol Attack
In 2021, during the attack on the U.S. Capitol, Mitt Romney rebuked President Trump and condemned the actions of the attackers, stating, "This is what you've gotten, guys!"
