Mitt Romney says he won’t do it again. After two failed presidential runs, Romney seems to be giving his final answer to the oft-asked question of whether he’ll try once more.
“No, no, no,” he told the New York Times.
“I’m not running for president in 2016,” he told CNN.
“We’re so ready to watch the next person step up and take that nomination,” his wife told Fox News.
But still, some are considering Romney to be the 2016 Republican front-runner. His advisors hear the request every day from former donors, the grass roots, and supporters. And the Netflix original documentary, “Mitt,” has political insiders and Romney followers all abuzz about what the future might hold.
We took the question to Mormons in Boston who followed Romney’s previous presidential attempts closely. All Bostonians interviewed currently live in the Cambridge Massachusetts Stake, where Romney once served as stake president.
Massachusetts State House portrait of Governor Mitt Romney, by artist Richard Whitney.
Alexis Warren, Boston
I do not think Mitt will run again for a national office. Twice is more than enough. I didn't vote for him for president, and I doubt I would vote for him in another capacity if the opportunity presented itself. I hope that whatever decisions he makes about his political future he makes for the right reasons.
As a Mormon in Boston, I was in the unique position of interacting with people who know Mitt personally and have for many years. The stories of him as a stake president had an impact on me because I recognized the names in the stories and better understood their context. I think I had a better grasp on Mitt outside of his political persona than Mormons in other places. Additionally, the Romney/Ryan headquarters in Boston had a huge impact on the makeup of our ward. Religion and politics were conflated in ways that made me slightly uncomfortable via talks from the pulpit, prayers at devotionals, talk in the hallways, etc. In general, my political and social views tend to differ from the majority of my peers at church.
Furthermore, attending university in Boston with a student body full of informed, politically opinionated people was an interesting experience as a Mormon. I found myself trying to balance a defense of Romney as a person (I do think he is honest and well-intentioned) with a critique of his policies. A lot of people were surprised I wasn't just voting for him because he is Mormon, as if religion is my number one criteria in a presidential candidate. It was a great opportunity to share that the Mormon church is not affiliated with any religious party and is an international organization of very diverse individuals.