Utah Senator Mitt Romney has stated that he plans to vote for his wife, Ann Romney, in the upcoming presidential election if both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are on the ballot. Romney, the Republican Party’s nominee for president in 2012, made this announcement during an interview on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” alongside Senator Joe Manchin, a Democrat from West Virginia. The two senators have collaborated on new legislation aimed at addressing the national debt.
When the host, Joe Kernen, suggested that they all support Romney’s choice, Manchin jokingly added that they could also consider his wife, Gayle Manchin. Manchin is reportedly contemplating an independent run for the White House. Kernen brought up the dilemma Romney may face if the current crop of Republican candidates do not unite behind someone capable of challenging Trump for the party’s nomination. Romney refrained from naming any specific candidates but acknowledged that his previous assessment that a single challenger needed to emerge by February was incorrect.
Romney admitted that they needed to act more swiftly and find a candidate with a real chance of taking on Trump, who currently holds a significant lead in national polls. According to RealClearPolitics.com, Trump’s approval rating stands at nearly 60%. While Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is the only candidate in double digits, former South Carolina Governor and United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley is gaining ground in the polls.
Romney, who recently announced that he will not seek a second term next year, revealed that he did not vote for Trump in the 2016 or 2020 elections. In 2016, he wrote in the name of a person he deeply admires and believed would make an excellent president. Although he acknowledged that his vote would not have any significant impact, he felt it was important to support a strong candidate. His office confirmed that he did not vote for Trump in 2020 either.
In his book “Romney: A Reckoning,” author McKay Coppins revealed that Romney privately expressed his support for Joe Biden while publicly stating that he would not endorse either major party candidate. Coppins also noted that in 2016, Romney cast a write-in vote for his wife and intended to do the same in the subsequent election, but he did not make a concerted effort to hide his preference for Biden.
