Mitt Romney

==2002 Massachusetts gubernatorial campaign==
{{Main|2002 Massachusetts gubernatorial election}}
In 2002, plagued by political missteps and personal scandals, the administration of Republican [[Acting governor#Massachusetts|Acting Governor of Massachusetts]] [[Jane Swift]] appeared vulnerable, and many Republicans viewed her as unable to win a general election.<ref name="aap04-772" /><ref>{{cite news|last=Frank |first=Mitch |url=http://www.time.com/time/columnist/frank/article/0,9565,219417,00.html |title=Jane Swift Takes One For the Team |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date=March 21, 2002 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030406181452/http://www.time.com/time/columnist/frank/article/0%2C9565%2C219417%2C00.html |archive-date=April 6, 2003 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Prominent party figures – as well as the White House – wanted Romney to run for governor<ref name="dn022202">Berwick Jr., Bob; Roche, Lisa Riley. [http://www.deseretnews.com/article/897445/Boston-GOP-beseeching-Mitt.html "Boston GOP beseeching Mitt: But hero of S.L. Games is coy about his future"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120313223320/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/897445/Boston-GOP-beseeching-Mitt.html |date=March 13, 2012 }} ''Deseret News'' (Salt Lake City), February 22, 2002. <!-- Retrieved November 1, 2006. --></ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2002-03-20/news/0203200179_1_massachusetts-governor-first-governor-mitt-romney|title=GOP's Swift drops out|first=Jeff|last=Zeleny|newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]|date=March 20, 2002|access-date=May 20, 2012|archive-date=September 19, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120919233204/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2002-03-20/news/0203200179_1_massachusetts-governor-first-governor-mitt-romney|url-status=live}}</ref> and the opportunity appealed to him for reasons including its national visibility.<ref>Kranish; Helman, ''The Real Romney'', pp. 224–225.</ref> A ''[[Boston Herald]]'' poll showed Republicans favoring Romney over Swift by more than 50 percentage points.<ref name="cnn031902">{{cite news |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2002/ALLPOLITICS/03/19/massachusetts.governor/index.html |title=Swift exits, Romney joins Mass. governor's race |publisher=[[CNN]] |date=March 19, 2002 |access-date=January 8, 2014 |archive-date=January 8, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140108195146/http://edition.cnn.com/2002/ALLPOLITICS/03/19/massachusetts.governor/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> On March 19, 2002, Swift announced she would not seek her party's nomination, and hours later Romney declared his candidacy,<ref name="cnn031902" /> for which he would face no opposition in the primary.<ref name="pbs-race" /> In June 2002, the [[Massachusetts Democratic Party]] challenged Romney's eligibility to run for governor, noting that state law required seven years' consecutive residence and that Romney had filed his state tax returns as a Utah resident in 1999 and 2000.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-87037568.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130502151752/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-87037568.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 2, 2013|title=State Dems file challenge on residency of Romney|last1=Guarino|first1=David R.|last2=Crummy|first2=Karen E.|newspaper=Boston Herald|date=June 8, 2002}}</ref><ref name="nyt-challenge">{{cite news|last=Butterfield|first=Fox|author-link=Fox Butterfield|title=Republican's Candidacy Is Challenged By Democrats|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=June 8, 2002 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/08/us/republican-s-candidacy-is-challenged-by-democrats.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130320191720/http://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/08/us/republican-s-candidacy-is-challenged-by-democrats.html |archive-date=March 20, 2013 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live }}</ref> In response, the bipartisan Massachusetts State Ballot Law Commission unanimously ruled that he had maintained sufficient financial and personal ties to Massachusetts to be an eligible candidate.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-120282117.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130502183559/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-120282117.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 2, 2013|title=Mass. board confirms GOP gubernatorial candidate's residency|first=Evan|last=Osnos|author-link=Evan Osnos|newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]|date=June 25, 2002}}</ref>

Romney again ran as a political outsider.<ref name="aap04-772" /> He played down his party affiliation,<ref name="bgseries6" /> saying he was "not a partisan Republican" but rather a "moderate" with "progressive" views.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/12/13/democrats-rail-against-romney-over-decade-old-comments/|title=Democrats rail against Romney over decade-old comments|author=Killough, Ashley|publisher=[[CNN]]|date=December 13, 2011|access-date=December 19, 2011|archive-date=December 14, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111214050837/http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/12/13/democrats-rail-against-romney-over-decade-old-comments/|url-status=dead}} See "[http://motherjones.com/mojo/2011/12/romney-2002-moderate-progressive-not-partisan-Worcester Romney in 2002: I'm "Moderate," "Progressive," and "Not a Partisan Republican"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111217115131/http://motherjones.com/mojo/2011/12/romney-2002-moderate-progressive-not-partisan-Worcester |date=December 17, 2011 }}" for video.</ref> He said he would observe a moratorium on changes to the state's laws on abortion, but reiterated that he would "preserve and protect a woman's right to choose" and that his position was "unequivocal".<ref name="cbs-a-views"/><ref name="bgseries7" /> He touted his private sector experience as qualifying him for addressing the state's fiscal problems<ref name="pbs-race">{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/vote2002/races/ma_governor.html|title=Vote 2002: Massachusetts Governor's Race|website=[[PBS NewsHour]]|publisher=[[PBS]]|access-date=November 1, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030625184413/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/vote2002/races/ma_governor.html|archive-date=June 25, 2003}}</ref> and stressed his ability to obtain federal funds for the state, offering his Olympics record as evidence.<ref name="karloly" /><ref name="isikoly" /> He proposed to reorganize the state government while eliminating waste, fraud, and mismanagement.<ref name="bgseries6" /><ref name="baylesgolden" /> The campaign innovatively utilized [[microtargeting]] techniques, identifying like-minded groups of voters and reaching them with narrowly tailored messaging.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/04/AR2007070401423.html|title=Romney's Data Cruncher|author=Cillizza, Chris|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=July 5, 2007|author-link=Chris Cillizza|access-date=September 5, 2017|archive-date=November 12, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171112054945/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/04/AR2007070401423.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In an attempt to overcome the image that had damaged him in the 1994 Senate race – that of a wealthy corporate buyout specialist out of touch with the needs of regular people – the campaign staged a series of "work days", in which Romney performed blue-collar jobs such as herding cows and baling hay, unloading a fishing boat, and hauling garbage.<ref name="baylesgolden" /><ref name="Kleinshirtless">{{cite news |last=Klein |first=Rick |title=New Ads, 'Work Days' Show Down-to-Earth Candidate |newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]] |url=https://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/269/metro/New_ads_work_days_show_down_to_earth_candidate+.shtml |date=September 26, 2002 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021002043211/http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/269/metro/New_ads_work_days_show_down_to_earth_candidate%2B.shtml |archive-date=October 2, 2002 |url-status=dead }} Also available with photo as [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=sVFOAAAAIBAJ&pg=1371,5073072 "Mitt takes his shirt off as campaign heats up"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201204222108/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=sVFOAAAAIBAJ&pg=1371,5073072 |date=December 4, 2020 }}, ''Deseret News'', September 27, 2002.</ref><ref name="MigaFuzzy" /> Television ads highlighting the effort, as well as one portraying his family in gushing terms and showing him shirtless,<ref name="Kleinshirtless" /> received a poor public response and were a factor in his Democratic opponent, [[Treasurer and Receiver-General of Massachusetts|Massachusetts State Treasurer]] [[Shannon O'Brien]], leading in the polls as late as mid-October.<ref name="baylesgolden">{{cite news|last=Bayles|first=Fred|title=Romney may be losing his touch in Mass|url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2002-10-15-massgov-usat_x.htm|newspaper=[[USA Today]]|date=October 16, 2002|access-date=September 5, 2017|archive-date=October 6, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081006134313/http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2002-10-15-massgov-usat_x.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="MigaFuzzy">{{cite news|last=Miga|first=Andrew|title=Don't expect a warm and fuzzy Romney this fall|url=http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20120405/PC1603/120409549|agency=[[Associated Press]]|newspaper=[[The Post and Courier]]|date=April 5, 2012|access-date=June 3, 2012|archive-date=September 29, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120929154441/http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20120405/PC1603/120409549|url-status=live}}</ref> He responded with ads that accused O'Brien of being a failed watchdog for state pension fund losses in the stock market and that associated her husband, a former lobbyist, with the [[Enron scandal]].<ref name="bgseries6" /><ref name="MigaFuzzy" /> These were effective in capturing independent voters.<ref name="MigaFuzzy" /> O'Brien said that Romney's budget plans were unrealistic; the two also differed on capital punishment and bilingual education, with Romney supporting the former and opposing the latter.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/02/us/the-2002-campaign-the-accusations-tight-and-heated-race-rages-in-massachusetts.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130320191725/http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/02/us/the-2002-campaign-the-accusations-tight-and-heated-race-rages-in-massachusetts.html |archive-date=March 20, 2013 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Tight and Heated Race Rages in Massachusetts|first=Pam |last=Belluck|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=November 2, 2002}}</ref>

During the election, Romney contributed more than $6 million – a state record at the time – to the nearly $10 million raised for his campaign.<ref>{{cite news|author=Mooney, Brian C.|url=https://www.boston.com/news/local/politics/candidates/articles/2006/08/22/gabrieli_surpasses_spending_record/|title=Gabrieli surpasses spending record|newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]]|date=August 22, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090103230438/http://www.boston.com/news/local/politics/candidates/articles/2006/08/22/gabrieli_surpasses_spending_record/|archive-date=January 3, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-94133968.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121129232942/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-94133968.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 29, 2012|title=Donor cash still floods campaigns|first=Ted|last=Bunker|newspaper=Boston Herald|date=November 11, 2002}}</ref> On November 5, 2002, he won the election with 50% of the vote to O'Brien's 45%.<ref>Barone and Cohen, ''Almanac of American Politics 2004'', p. 773.</ref>