The Real Reason Mitt Romney Was Booed Publicly
Utah Senator and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney has been part of the Republican party for a long time. Previously, he lost a senate election in Massachusetts in 1994, then he ran for president during the 2008 and 2012 elections, becoming the party's presidential nominee in 2012. Despite Romney's loyalty to the Grand Ol' Party, the businessman-turned-politician has never been scared to break away and speak out.
Romney routinely criticized former President Donald Trump during the final years of Trump's presidency. Per The New York Times and CNBC, Romney's biggest moves against Trump were when he broke rank with his fellow Republicans to vote to convict him in both of his failed impeachment trials in 2020 and 2021. But Romney's actions against his party haven't come without consequences or dissent — even in Utah, the state where he's been a senator since 2018.
On May 2, the crowd at the Utah Republican Convention loudly booed Romney as he took the stage, according to The Guardian. Read on to find out why.
Utah Republicans called Mitt Romney a 'traitor' and a 'communist'
At the Utah Republican Convention on May 2, 2021, party delegates loudly booed Utah U.S. Senator Mitt Romney as he tried to speak on stage, according to The Guardian. They also called the former presidential candidate and governor a "traitor" to the party and a "communist." Romney responded, "Aren't you embarrassed?" Per the Salt Lake City Tribune, he continued, "You can boo all you like ... I'm a man who says what he means, and you know I was not a fan of our last president's character issues."
Romney received this response because he broke rank with other Republicans to vote to convict former President Donald Trump in the failed 2020 and 2021 impeachment trials. And it seems like Utah delegates of the party are still holding that against the senator. During the convention, they voted on delegate Don Guymon's motion to censure Romney, which failed narrowly by a 798-711 vote, per The Guardian. Guymon told the publication that Romney's impeachment trial votes against Trump "hurt the constitution and hurt the party" and "emboldened Democrats."