Mitt Romney's Senate exit may create a vacuum of vocal, conservative Trump critics
Sen. Mitt Romney is due to give his final speech after seeing the Republican Party for which he was once the standard bearer drastically transform under Donald Trump
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — With Mitt Romney set to exit the U.S. Senate, Washington will be without one of its strongest conservative critics of Donald Trump when the president retakes the White House in the new year.
The retiring senator will reflect on his two-decade political career, which included the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, a term as Massachusetts governor and several skirmishes with Trump loyalists in Congress, at a final news conference Friday in Salt Lake City.
Romney, 77, chose not to run for reelection this year after representing Utah in the Senate since 2019. He has said he wants to focus on getting more young people involved in politics after he leaves office in January but has not shared specific plans.
Once the standard-bearer of the Republican Party, Romney watched his brand of moderate conservatism shift from establishment to outlier as Trump took hold of the party.
