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Mitt Romney will not seek reelection in 2024
https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2023/09/13/congress/romney-senate-retire-gop-reelection-utah-00115644Sen. Mitt Romney plans to retire at the end of his term next year rather than run for reelection, capping a lengthy career in Republican politics.
The Utah senator is one of the most distinguished figures in the GOP — serving as a moderate Massachusetts governor, winning the party’s presidential nomination in 2012 and then serving in the Senate since 2019 as a check on Trumpism.
“I have 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-eighties. 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,” Romney said in a statement.
The 76-year-old senator’s reelection deliberations have largely centered on whether he would be able to continue tackling big issues over another six-year term. But he said Wednesday he didn’t believe either President Joe Biden or former President Donald Trump were willing to confront big challenges like climate change and the debt.
The Utah senator is one of the most distinguished figures in the GOP — serving as a moderate Massachusetts governor, winning the party’s presidential nomination in 2012 and then serving in the Senate since 2019 as a check on Trumpism.
“I have 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-eighties. 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,” Romney said in a statement.
The 76-year-old senator’s reelection deliberations have largely centered on whether he would be able to continue tackling big issues over another six-year term. But he said Wednesday he didn’t believe either President Joe Biden or former President Donald Trump were willing to confront big challenges like climate change and the debt.
47 replies
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The state is way too Mormon for that to happen yet. Give it 10 years
Utah could turn liberal eventually. I’ve had a few siblings leave the church and it went like this:
1) steps away from the church; politically does not change
About two- three years pass and
2) they come out as not republican and vote democratic.
Outside of Utah the church is collapsing at a very fast rate (more than 50% have left in most areas). Utah will be next
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/07/03/republican-party-mormon-church-decline/
https://archive.ph/EpkAk
Republicans often find themselves on the losing end of demographic shifts as the United States grows more racially diverse, better-educated and less religious. Only one long-term trend — the rapid growth of the reliably conservative Mormon Church — has consistently provided the GOP with good news. But that consolation might be slipping away. Mormonism is in decline, and Democrats are gaining traction with younger church members. There are no easy solutions for the church or the GOP.
The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints has long been laser-focused on growth. Mormons often spend two to three years of their young adulthood as full-time missionaries in an effort to convert people across the nation and globe. And when missionaries come home, LDS culture encourages them to settle down quickly and raise large families. Despite these efforts, the American Mormon Church is shrinking.
According to the Cooperative Elections Study — a long-running survey with enough respondents to reliably track Mormon affiliation — 1.8 percent of American adults identified as Mormon in 2007. In 15 years, that total dropped to 1.2 percent. In raw terms, that’s a net loss of roughly 1 million adult members. The LDS Church maintains a more detailed count, but it might overestimate its strength. Its records include children and “inactive” members, some of whom are former Mormons who skipped the bureaucratic chore of removing their names from the church’s rolls. The church’s count shows positive — but rapidly decelerating — growth.
The LDS Church isn’t unique in its struggles. Americans increasingly distrust organized religion — and organizations of all kinds, for that matter. That feeling of alienation is driving Americans away from other Christian sects as well.
snip
https://archive.ph/EpkAk
Republicans often find themselves on the losing end of demographic shifts as the United States grows more racially diverse, better-educated and less religious. Only one long-term trend — the rapid growth of the reliably conservative Mormon Church — has consistently provided the GOP with good news. But that consolation might be slipping away. Mormonism is in decline, and Democrats are gaining traction with younger church members. There are no easy solutions for the church or the GOP.
The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints has long been laser-focused on growth. Mormons often spend two to three years of their young adulthood as full-time missionaries in an effort to convert people across the nation and globe. And when missionaries come home, LDS culture encourages them to settle down quickly and raise large families. Despite these efforts, the American Mormon Church is shrinking.
According to the Cooperative Elections Study — a long-running survey with enough respondents to reliably track Mormon affiliation — 1.8 percent of American adults identified as Mormon in 2007. In 15 years, that total dropped to 1.2 percent. In raw terms, that’s a net loss of roughly 1 million adult members. The LDS Church maintains a more detailed count, but it might overestimate its strength. Its records include children and “inactive” members, some of whom are former Mormons who skipped the bureaucratic chore of removing their names from the church’s rolls. The church’s count shows positive — but rapidly decelerating — growth.
The LDS Church isn’t unique in its struggles. Americans increasingly distrust organized religion — and organizations of all kinds, for that matter. That feeling of alienation is driving Americans away from other Christian sects as well.
snip
cheers!
