Whatever you may believe about former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, he’s not one to call it a day when the going gets tough.
Ever since Romney lost the 2008 presidential nomination to Senator John McCain, one could only speculate he would be back for round two.
As we all know, McCain lost, Democratic nominee Barack Obama became the President of the United States, and those apart of the GOP have been longing for the day when a challenger would arise to take on the incumbent Obama for the 2012 elections.
Time passed, former hopefuls Mike Huckabee and Sarah Palin decided against a presidential run, McCain went back to Capitol Hill, and a certain Mitt Romney went to wait in the wings.
On April 29th, 2011, Romney finally announced the almost-obvious. He would once again wage a campaign to become the Republican nominee.
“It is time that we put America back on a course of greatness, with a growing economy, good jobs and fiscal discipline in Washington.” Romney said during his announcement speech.
Ever since the announcement, Romney has faced opposition on many platforms. Dating back to the 2008 election, Romney has always been accused of being a political “flip-flop”. Opponents usually accuse the former governor of never adhering to a specific belief, saying what was beneficial at the moment – the marks of a true politician. Romney also lacked major support from the ultra-conservatives, most notably those apart of the Tea Party movement.
But throughout the thick and the thin, the criticisms and the accusations, like the cat on the poster, Romney hung in there.
This nomination process has been one for the ages. We have seen[the rise and fall of Herman Cain. We have seen once-prominent candidate Michelle Bachman drop out of the race. We are slowly witnessing the demise of Rick Perry’s campaign due to poor reception by voters, largely due to weak debate performances. We have even seen the failed campaign of a Mr. Donald Trump.
Post-Cain, the race became open to whoever had the hot iron ready to strike. Newt Gingrich, towards the end of 2011, gained a large boost in support. Gingrich, the former Speaker of the House during the Clinton administration, seemed for a brief while there to etch himself out as some sort of a frontrunner.
Then, 2012 rolled around and all eyes went to Iowa. The first major race of the year, the Iowa Caucus became a major turning point for many of the nominees. Gingrich quickly vanished, and noted libertarian Ron Paul saw a large gain with voters. Sure enough, Rick Santorum, the former senator from Pennsylvania, pulled a surprise lead and placed second in the caucus, trailing by only a few votes to the eventual winner. The winner happened to be Mitt Romney.
Next up, the focus switched to New Hampshire. Romney, considered almost a lock for the win, proved everyone right. He won New Hampshire by quite a margin. Ron Paul took second place, and John Huntsman, another candidate making a late surge, placed third. Gingrich, Santorum, and Perry placed behind the top three in that order.
Winning two primaries is nothing to be ashamed of. Romney, widely considered the man for the nomination in early 2011, has once again claimed his place as the frontrunner of this election.
South Carolina is up next, and you will never guess who’s already ahead.
Love him or hate him, Mitt Romney just took a seat on the express jet to the nomination. Granted, the battle is not over. “Super Tuesday” looms in the distance, including the crucial turnout in Florida.
While reading Rasmussen, I came across a recent article entitled “Romney’s Only Republican Most Voters Think Is Likely To Beat Obama”. The article showed that 53% of people believe this fact.
You’re more than free to disagree, but in this writer’s opinion, the Republican nomination is Romney’s to lose. Anything can happen, but for now, it’s Mitt for the win.
Can he truly take on President Obama for the White House this November? Now that’s another story.
Photo courtesy of CNN.com