Sen. Mitt Romney says he will not run for reelection

Sen. Mitt Romney on Wednesday announced that he will not seek a second term in the U.S. Senate, likely marking the end of his political career.

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Romney, a Republican, has represented Utah in the Senate since 2019. He served as governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 and ran for president in 2008 and 2012.

“I’ve spent my last 25 years in public service of one kind or another. At the end of another term, I’d be in my mid-80s,” Romney said in a video posted Wednesday on social media.

“Frankly, it’s time for a new generation of leaders. They’re the ones that need to make the decisions that will shape the world they will be living in.

In 2020, Romney became the first senator in history to vote in favor of convicting a president from their own party in an impeachment trial, The Associated Press reported. He was the sole member of the GOP to vote against former President Donald Trump in his first impeachment trial and one of seven to vote to convict him in his second, according to the AP.

The Senate ultimately acquitted Trump in both trials.

Romney was popular with Utah voters. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, and has deep connections to the Mormon church.