Opinion: What will Mitt Romney’s legacy be?

The announcement by Sen. Mitt Romney that he will not seek reelection raised eyebrows throughout the state and country. Because he was such a force for mainstream politics, robust discussions are occurring about the impact of his retirement. We, of course, join in the pontificating.

Romney is one of the best-known members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He is appreciated for being a great example of what the faith embodies, in addition to his success as governor of Massachusetts, and his performance as the 2012 GOP presidential nominee. Our state was grateful for his leadership of the 2002 Winter Olympics. Romney was essentially drafted to replace Sen. Orrin Hatch in 2018. But the affection of Republicans toward Romney began to wane. He was even booed at state conventions and other GOP gatherings. What caused this fallout with a favorite adopted son?

Pignanelli: “Mitt Romney was willing on an individual basis to stand up against Donald Trump, but not lead a Republican revolt against Trump.” — Geoffrey Kabaservice, The Niskanen Center 

The Utah culture has many wonderful attributes, including unwritten, but clear, rules of behavior, especially for our leaders (i.e. Do not embarrass us!).

For a half a century, the state’s federal delegation was encouraged to work behind the scenes with national liberals on important matters, but open endorsement of their agenda was forbidden. Hatch enjoyed wonderful relationships with Democrats to accomplish mutual goals, yet never wavered as a champion for conservative causes.

The principled Romney was bothered by unscrupulous conduct of other politicians, regardless of political affiliation. President Trump’s famous phone call with the Ukrainian president troubled him, thereby leading to his affirmative vote on the impeachment trial in the Senate. This initiated Romney’s problems in Utah. Some conservatives understood angst with Trump but were furious the senator voted with “them” (Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer and various coastal lefties). Other Utah officials articulated concerns with candidate Trump but when he became the official warrior against the left, they publicly aligned with the president.

Romney is a strong conservative but local mores required the perception of a less cozy relationship with political opposites.

Webb: Romney governed very much as a moderate in Massachusetts, then turned more conservative as he sought the GOP presidential nomination. After the 2016 election, Romney flirted with Trump as he was considered for secretary of state. But soon thereafter, outraged by Trump’s serious character flaws, Romney became the president’s chief critic in the Republican Party.

Politically, it was an unwise move. It made him very unpopular among the conservative GOP base in Utah. He could have simply kept his mouth shut about Trump, as so many other Republicans did (and still do). But Romney couldn’t do that. He even voted with the Democrats twice to ratify Trump’s impeachments, which was not smart, in my opinion. He voted to remove Trump from office, even though the Democrats seriously dumbed-down impeachment with rather silly charges against Trump.

To many Republicans, Romney seemed to be fully supporting the Democratic agenda to persecute Trump. Much of the criticism against Trump was justified, but some was not. Romney went all-in with left-wing Democrats on Trump. He could have quietly said, when asked, “I liked many of the president’s policies. But I don’t like some of his personal character traits.” And left it at that. But he didn’t.

Romney today is a mainstream Republican conservative. He’s been critical of many of President Joe Biden’s policies and the overall liberal direction of the Democratic Party, while also being willing to work across party lines.

Related

• Why Romney voted to convict and Lee voted to acquit Trump in 2nd impeachment trial

• A new biography about Sen. Mitt Romney reveals details about his time in the Senate

• A few ideas for Mitt’s next job

Despite grumblings on the home front, Romney was very influential in the U.S. Senate, even as a freshman. What will be his national and local legacy? Romney promises to be engaged at a different level in retirement. Could he have influence after his departure?

Pignanelli: Romney was blessed with the keen mind and ability to construct solutions to problems. This served him well in business, as the Massachusetts governor and as president of the 2002 Olympics. Using these invaluable skills in the Senate, he was instrumental in crafting key legislation in a bipartisan manner. Although a transplant, he demonstrated a robust example of crafting results while utilizing the “Utah Way.”

Webb: Romney will be remembered as a smart, capable, courteous and wholesome moderate conservative. He liked to solve problems and get things done more than engage in political warfare (except with regard to Trump). Trump-haters will always appreciate Romney’s forthrightness in dealing with the former president. Trump-lovers will always view him as a traitor.

In retirement, he can be a strong voice in encouraging action on the nation’s serious problems, such as debt and immigration. He can be influential in bringing people together to solve the nation’s serious problems.

Personal note: Ron Rencher, the last Democrat to serve as speaker of the Utah House of Representatives, died last week. He was a true gentleman and inspiration for politicians of every stripe. We extend condolences to the family.

Republican LaVarr Webb is a former journalist and a semiretired small farmer and political consultant. Email: lwebb@exoro.com. Frank Pignanelli is a Salt Lake attorney, lobbyist and political adviser who served as a Democrat in the Utah state Legislature. Email: frankp@xmission.com.