Romney Didn’t Really Want To Be President, Son Says

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Mitt Romney’s eldest son Tagg Romney told the Boston Globe that his father had “no desire” to run for president again 2012 but was persuaded by his family to do so.

“He wanted to be president less than anyone I’ve met in my life. He had no desire to . . . run,” he said. “If he could have found someone else to take his place . . . he would have been ecstatic to step aside. He is a very private person who loves his family deeply and wants to be with them, but he has deep faith in God and he loves his country, but he doesn’t love the attention.”

Romney spent $45 million of his own money on his 2012 bid. 

Here’s how the Globe described the former governor’s mindset, as per Tagg’s remarks:

More than being reticent, Romney was at first far from sold on a second presidential run. Haunted by his 2008 loss, he initially told his family he would not do it. While candidates often try to portray themselves as reluctant, Tagg insisted his father’s stance was genuine.

According to the article and other reports before the election, Tagg Romney clashed with his father’s chief strategist Stuart Stevens over the direction of the campaign. Tagg reportedly wanted to highlight anecdotes of Mitt Romney’s acts of kindness, but other top strategists were skeptical.

Read the Globe’s post-mortem of the Romney campaign here.

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