United States Senator Mitt Romney was born to privilege. His father, George W. Romney, the dynamic president of American Motors who would later become Governor of Michigan, remains Mitt Romney’s lifelong role model. Yet the lesson young Mitt took from both of his parents is that life is fundamentally defined by service, not only financial success. In this episode of “The Thread,” Senator Romney thoughtfully reflects on family and faith, the twin pillars that have guided him throughout his storied career.

Born Willard Mitt Romney on March 12, 1947, in Detroit and raised in the nearby suburb of Bloomfield Hills, Mitt Romney is the son of George Romney, who served as Michigan governor in the 1960s. Mitt attended the prestigious Cranbrook School before receiving his undergraduate degree from Brigham Young University in 1971. He attended Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School, receiving both a law degree and a master’s degree in business administration degree in 1975. Romney married Ann Lois Davies in 1969; they have five sons. Romney began his career in business. He worked for the management consulting firm Bain & Company before founding the investment firm Bain Capital in 1984. A decade later, in 1994, he ran for a seat in the U.S. Senate in Massachusetts but was defeated by longtime incumbent Ted Kennedy.
Romney stepped into the national spotlight in 1999, when he took over as president of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee. He helped rescue the 2002 Winter Olympic Games from financial and ethical woes and helmed the successful Salt Lake City Games in 2002. Romney was elected governor of Massachusetts in 2003. During Romney’s term as governor, he oversaw the reduction of a $3 billion deficit. He also signed into law a health-care reform program to provide nearly universal health care for Massachusetts residents. In 2008 Romney ran for the republican nomination for president, but lost to Senator John McCain. In 2012 Romney ran again and secured the Republican nomination for president, but lost to incumbent Barack Obama in a close general election. In 2018 Romney ran for United States Senate and won. On January 3, 2019 Romney was sworn-in as Utah's newest Senator.

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Chapter Markers:
00:00 - Opening
00:45 - Childhood
03:08 - Father George W. Romney’s Politics
03:40 - Bringing Father’s Lessons into Private Sector
06:21 - CEO of Salt Lake Olympic Organizing Committee
09:55 - Parents’ Political Influence
11:18 - Achievements as Massachusetts Governor
13:48 - Overcoming Defeats
14:57 - Running for US Senate
16:54 - Experience in the US Senate
19:29 - Vote for Trump’s Impeachment
22:23 - Work-Life Balance
23:23 - Wife Ann Romney
26:34 - Parents’ Rose Story
27:39 - Parents’ Deaths
29:24 - Thoughts on Death
30:24 - Future of America

Mitt Romney, Politician
Interviewed By: Mark Salter
Interview Date: August 30, 2023

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