| Mitt Romney for President 2008 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Campaign | 2008 United States presidential election |
| Candidate | Mitt Romney 70th Governor of Massachusetts (2003–2007) |
| Affiliation | Republican Party |
| Status | Announced February 13, 2007 Withdrew February 7, 2008 |
| Headquarters | Boston, Massachusetts |
| Key people | Beth Myers (Manager) Carl Forti (Political Director) Matt Rhoades (Communications Director) Alex Castellanos (Senior Advisor) |
| Receipts | US$88.5[citation needed] (2007-12-31) |
| Slogan | True Strength for America's Future |
| Website | |
| www.mittromney.com (archived - January 15, 2008) | |
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Governor of Massachusetts
Presidential campaigns
U.S. Senator from Utah
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The Mitt Romney presidential campaign of 2008 began on January 3, 2007, two days before Mitt Romney left office as governor of Massachusetts, when he filed to form an exploratory committee with the Federal Election Commission to run for President of the United States as a Republican in the 2008 election.[1] Subsequently, on February 13, 2007, he formally announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for president in 2008.[2] He did so at the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan, as an emblem of American ingenuity.[3]
Romney was considered a top-tier candidate in his bid for the Republican nomination, despite hurdles such as low name recognition and questions about his Mormon faith. Romney partly financed his campaign with his own personal fortune, having contributed over $35 million of the $90 million raised by his campaign.[4] Despite that, he also raised more money than any other Republican primary candidate.
In a nationwide poll conducted on January 2, 2008, Romney placed first among Republican voters nationally.[5] However, he came in second in the Iowa caucuses to Mike Huckabee. Romney followed up with his first win of the campaign season in the Wyoming caucus, although it received little media attention. He then lost the New Hampshire primary to John McCain, but won the Nevada caucuses with 51 percent of the vote, with Ron Paul in second place and John McCain third, and won the Michigan primary by 9 percentage points, leaving the nomination result up in the air. He then finished fourth in the South Carolina primary and finished second to McCain in the hotly contested Florida primary, a result which gave McCain the lead in delegates and the status of "frontrunner" heading in to Super Tuesday.[6]
On February 7, 2008, two days after McCain posted strong gains in the Super Tuesday primaries, Romney announced the end of his campaign.[7] A week later he endorsed McCain.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
010307-FiledwithFECwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Crowley, Candy "Romney kicks off White House bid" CNN, February 13, 2007; retrieved March 29, 2007.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
bg-annwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Romney Gave $35M To Campaign In '07". CBS News. Archived from the original on January 19, 2016. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
- ^ Rasmussen Reports: Daily Presidential Tracking Polling History Archived September 3, 2012.
- ^ Electability seen as key to McCain's rising support Reuters, February 1, 2008.
- ^ Sidoti, Liz (2008-02-07). "McCain seals GOP nod as Romney drops out". USA Today. Associated Press. Archived from the original on February 24, 2017. Retrieved September 3, 2012.