Mitt Romney 2012 presidential campaign


The 2012 presidential campaign of Mitt Romney officially began on June 2, 2011, when former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney formally announced his candidacy for the Republican Party nomination for President of the United States, at an event in Stratham, New Hampshire. Having previously run in the 2008 Republican primaries, this was Romney's second campaign for the presidency.
He filed his organization with the Federal Election Commission as an exploratory committee and announced the organization in a video message on April 11, 2011. He became the party's presumptive nominee with his victory in the Texas primary on May 29, 2012. On August 11, 2012, in Norfolk, Virginia, Romney announced that Paul Ryan, the long-time U.S. Representative for, would be his running mate for vice president.
On August 30, 2012, in Tampa, Florida, Romney formally accepted the Republican Party's nomination at the 2012 Republican National Convention.
Romney's campaign came to an end on November 6, 2012, upon defeat by incumbent president Barack Obama in the 2012 presidential election. Romney received 60,933,500 votes, or 47.2% of the total votes cast, winning 24 states and 206 electoral votes.
Had he won, Romney would have been the first president to be born in Michigan, the first Mormon president, and the second governor of Massachusetts to do so, after Calvin Coolidge. Ryan would have been the first vice president from Wisconsin. Six years later, in November 2018, Romney was elected as U.S. Senator from Utah, serving until 2025. In October 2015, Ryan was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives, serving until 2019.

Background

After the 2008 election, Romney built a strategy for the 2012 presidential campaign and saved PAC money to underwrite salaries and consulting fees for his existing political staff and to build up a political infrastructure for what might become a $1 billion campaign three years hence. He also had a nationwide network of former staff and supporters eager for him to run again.
He continued to give speeches and raise campaign funds on behalf of fellow Republicans. Romney declined a lucrative job as head of a hedge fund, and instead began a yearlong self-education on foreign and domestic issues.
Romney finished first in the CPAC straw poll in 2009 and second in 2010 and 2011, won the Southern Republican Leadership Conference straw poll in 2010, and won the New Hampshire Straw Poll in 2011.
Romney released his 2010 tax return in early January 2012, along with a partial 2011 return which he promised to release in whole upon its completion. During the presidential campaign, he decided not to disclose additional returns citing the matter as a distraction from more important issues.
Despite his preparations, Romney remained unconvinced on whether to run again. In December 2010 he asked his immediate family to vote on a 2012 campaign. Unlike the unanimous support before the 2008 campaign, this time 10 family members voted against another try; only Romney's wife Ann and one son voted in favor, and Romney told family members that he would not run again. In the spring of 2011, his wife and political allies persuaded him to change his mind, telling Romney that they believed he could fix the economy.

Campaign formation

Exploratory committee

Before a slower start to the presidential campaign by all contenders than four years previous, on April 11, 2011, Mitt Romney announced by means of a video recorded that day at an athletics field at the University of New Hampshire that he had formed an exploratory committee as a first step for a potential run for a Republican presidential campaign, saying, "It is time that we put America back on a course of greatness, with a growing economy, good jobs and fiscal discipline in Washington."

Formal announcement

Romney formally announced his candidacy for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination at an outdoor gathering in Stratham, New Hampshire, on June 2, 2011.
In his announcement speech, he pledged to make the U.S. economy the main focus of his campaign, saying "My number one job will be to see that America is number one in job creation."

Fundraising

On May 16, 2011, the Romney campaign announced that it had raised $10.25 million "in connection with today's call day fundraiser in Nevada." This was hailed in the media as "an impressive one day total". Thereafter, however, the Los Angeles Times reported that "the amount actually represented pledges gathered earlier and tallied that day, not just funds actually taken in by the campaign". Later, it was discovered that Romney had actually raised $2.403 million on May 16, about a quarter of the claimed amount.
File:Mitt Romney at Senate Coney Island Livonia Michigan.JPG|thumb|Romney speaks with patrons at a Senate Coney Island Restaurant in Livonia, Michigan, during a campaign stop, June 9, 2011.
For the entire second quarter, the campaign expected to raise only about $20 million, less than the $44 million raised in that period in 2007 but still more than any of the other Republican candidates. By the end of June, Romney's campaign raised $18.5 million, which was $14 million more than U.S. representative Ron Paul, who came 2nd in funding amongst Republican candidates.
By the end of March 2012, Romney had raised $88 million, far more than his nearest Republican rival, Ron Paul. President Barack Obama had raised $197 million, more than twice as much as Romney, and the Obama campaign had nearly 10 times as much cash on hand. By the end of April, Romney was far outstripping Obama in large-value campaign contributions from individual donors: most of Romney's contributions were at the legal limit of $2,500, compared to 16% of Obama's. Obama fared better among small-value donors, with almost half of his donations at $200 or less, compared to only 10% of Romney's.
Romney was also supported by the Super PAC called Restore Our Future. As of the end of February 2012, Restore Our Future had raised over $43 million.
In an article about 2016 Presidential election fundraiser Mary Pat Bonner, 2012 campaign finance chair Zwick was mentioned in regards "fund-raising fees paid by Mr. Romney's campaign committees to limited liability companies established by Mr. Zwick: about $34 million, according to campaign disclosure reports".
By April 2012 Romney's financial supporters included Julian Robertson of Tiger Management, Louis Moore Bacon of Moore Capital Management, John Paulson of Paulson & Co., Steven Allen Schwarzman, of The Blackstone Group and Paul Singer of Elliott Management Corporation.

Campaign staff and policy team

  • Matt Rhoades, Campaign Manager. Rhoades was communications director of Romney's '08 campaign. He also was a deputy communications research director for the Republican National Committee during the 2006 election cycle, and a research director for the 2004 Bush campaign.
  • Chief of staff to the executive director, Kelli Harrison
  • Advisers, Beth Myers, Peter Flaherty and Eric Fehrnstrom
  • Strategists, Stuart Stevens and Russell Schriefer, partners and principals at the Stevens & Schriefer Group. The pair were media consultants on Romney's 2007–08 campaign. They also served as part of the media group on the 2004 George W. Bush presidential campaign, and previously on Bush's 2000 campaign.
  • Political director, Rich Beeson. Partner at FLS Direct and previously the RNC director for the 2008 election cycle.
  • Communications director Gail Gitcho. Former communications director to Scott Brown and national press secretary for the RNC.
  • Digital director Zac Moffatt. Former co-founder and partner of Targeted Victory, a Republican digital strategic consulting firm.
  • Lanhee Chen, policy director. Chen was chief domestic policy adviser during Romney's 2008 campaign for president. Visiting scholar at the University of California's Institute of Governmental Studies. Previously deputy campaign manager and policy director on California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner's campaign for governor, 2009–10, and senior counselor to the deputy secretary of Health and Human Services.

    Foreign Policy and National Security Advisory Team

Romney's foreign policy special advisors were drawn largely from the previous Republican administration. Of the 24 foreign policy advisors, 17 served in the Bush-Cheney administration.