Who is he?:
The former governor of Massachusetts and investment firm manager. Running against President Barack Obama in 2012 for the White House.
Birthdate:
March 12, 1947, in Detroit. His mother, Lenore, was an actress who gave up her career when she married George Romney, who was born in a Mormon colony in Chihuahua, Mexico, and would go on to head American Motors and be governor of Michigan. He has three siblings. He spent one year at Stanford University and nearly three years abroad as a Mormon missionary in France. He would earn a bachelor's degree in English from Brigham Young University and his MBA from Harvard.
Personal life:
Romney first met Ann Davies when he was in elementary school. They met again years later at a friend's house, and began dating in his senior year at Cranbook School. They married in 1969 and have five sons: Taggart, Matthew, Joshua, Benjamin, and Craig. The couple also have 18 grandchildren and are active in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including holding numerous lay clergy leadership positions in the church. Ann Romney has multiple sclerosis and has also battled breast cancer.
Political Affiliation:
Republican. Known as a cultural conservative early in his life, yet criticized by some conservatives for being too moderate as governor of the liberal state of Massachusetts. Tried to reassure the Conservative Political Action Conference in 2012 that he is a "severely conservative Republican."
Career:
Romney has spent the bulk of his career in the private sector, first working as a business management consultant. He founded the investment firm Bain Capital in 1994, and would later return to his old consulting firm, Bain & Company, as CEO. In 1994, he challenged Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) for his seat and took a leave of absence from Bain for the unsuccessful campaign. Kennedy fended off the challenge 58 percent to 41 percent. Served as president and CEO for the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. He won election as governor of Massachusetts in November 2002 and served one term before launching into his unsuccessful 2008 bid for the Republican presidential nomination. He published a book, "No Apology: The Case for American Greatness," in February 2010. After a protracted primary battle for the Republican nomination in 2012, Romney emerged as the man who would face Obama in November.
Future:
Romney is trying to defeat Obama on the message that he's a businessman who can rescue a faltering economy while the president has no experience in the business world. Romney's opponents paint the former governor as a wealthy businessman who can't comprehend what Americans are suffering. The fight for the White House promises to be one of the most heated that anyone can remember.
Quote:
"He wants another stimulus, he wants to hire more government workers. He says we need more firemen, more policemen, more teachers. Did he not get the message of Wisconsin? The American people did. It’s time for us to cut back on government and help the American people."