Planned presidential transition of Mitt Romney

Last updated
Mitt Romney by Gage Skidmore 8.jpg
Mitt Romney
Mike Leavitt.jpg
Mike Leavitt (2005)
Former HHS Secretary Leavitt chaired the team that would have coordinated the presidential transition for Romney.

The planned presidential transition of Mitt Romney, better known as the Romney Readiness Project, refers to the planned transfer of power from President Barack Obama to Mitt Romney, the Republican Party's candidate for president in the 2012 presidential election. As Barack Obama was reelected as president, the transition never took place.

Contents

The transition plan was the first to occur under the terms of the Pre-Election Presidential Transition Act of 2010. [1]

The Edward "Ted" Kaufman and Michael Leavitt Presidential Transitions Improvements Act of 2015 was named in Leavitt's honor and also in honor of the head of the Obama transition team.

Planning

Known internally as "The Readiness Project", transition planning began in April 2012, several months before the 2012 Republican National Convention. [2] Led by Chairman Mike Leavitt and Executive Director Chris Liddell, it consisted of a skeleton staff of four until August, when additional employees were retained. The staff eventually grew to almost 300 people. [3] [4] [5] Other senior executives within the project included Robert Zoellick and Al Hubbard. [6]

Activities undertaken by the Readiness Project included preparing policy briefings for civil servants at federal agencies, which would be delivered by "parachute teams" following the election; creating a list of candidates to fill the several hundred political appointments made by the president; coordinating with the Obama administration for the transfer of occupancy of presidential residences, including the White House and the Number One Observatory Circle; liaising with the United States Armed Forces for the assumption of National Command Authority and launch control of nuclear weapons; and developing a post-election communications plan, which reportedly included a 1,000-word victory speech Romney would deliver. [5] [7] On the evening of the election, the Readiness Project's transition website, declaring Romney's victory, was accidentally pushed live, but was quickly taken down again. The site was built by a Utah-based web development company, SolutionStream. [8]

In accordance with the Pre-Election Presidential Transition Act of 2010, the project was provided with office space by the General Services Administration (GSA) beginning in September 2012, two months prior to the election. [5] [7] The offices of the Readiness Project were shuttered and completely cleared within three days following Romney's defeat. Total spending by the Readiness Project between its inception and dissolution was $8.9 million, with those costs paid by the U.S. government. [7]

Contingency

The Romney team was reported as having shaken off the fear of appearing presumptuous, a fear that hampered the Obama team and hindered them from making adequate transition preparations. [9]

In contrast with the Obama presidential transition, Leavitt communicated directly with White House Chief of Staff Jack Lew, and the two coordinated a plan, putting members of the transition team in charge of various government departments in direct communication with members of the Obama administration. Leavitt described his new style of transition team as "essentially a federal government in miniature." [9]

Impact

The Edward "Ted" Kaufman and Michael Leavitt Presidential Transitions Improvements Act of 2015 was named in Leavitt's honor and also in honor of the head of the Obama transition team. The organization said, "The new law creates a federal overseer for the presidential transition and requires each agency to name a person to manage the process." [2]

Leavitt agreed to work on the planning for Donald Trump's presidential transition, even though he had not endorsed Trump. [10] According to The Washington Post , Leavitt is regarded as an "evangelist for how to run an effective presidential transition." [11] Leavitt stated that he was lending the Trump team his "unique experience" because "[c]ountries are vulnerable during transitions and I see this as a very—almost obligation—to contribute to the country. This is a very serious thing." [12]

Report by Leavitt

In 2013, Leavitt published a 138-page case study of the Readiness Project entitled Romney Readiness Project 2012: Retrospectives and Lessons Learned. [2] [13] In the foreword, Romney wrote, "My campaign was not successful but our Readiness Project team was." [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Leavitt</span> 8th U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services

Michael Okerlund Leavitt is an American Republican Party politician who served as the 14th governor of Utah from 1993 to 2003, and in the George W. Bush administration as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from 2003 to 2005 and as Secretary of Health and Human Services from 2005 to 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mitt Romney</span> American politician and businessman (born 1947)

Willard Mitt Romney is an American politician, businessman, and lawyer who has served as the junior United States senator from Utah since 2019. He served as the 70th governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 and was the Republican Party's nominee for president of the United States in the 2012 election, losing to incumbent Barack Obama.

The political positions of Mitt Romney have been recorded from his 1994 U.S. senatorial campaign in Massachusetts, the 2002 gubernatorial election, during his 2003–2007 governorship, during his 2008 U.S. presidential campaign, in his 2010 book No Apology: The Case for American Greatness, during his 2012 U.S. presidential campaign, and during his 2018 senatorial campaign in Utah. Some of these political positions have changed, while others have remained unchanged.

In the United States, a presidential transition is the process during which the president-elect of the United States prepares to take over the administration of the federal government of the United States from the incumbent president. Though planning for transition by a non-incumbent candidate can start at any time before a presidential election and in the days following, the transition formally starts when the General Services Administration (GSA) declares an “apparent winner” of the election, thereby releasing the funds appropriated by Congress for the transition, and continues until inauguration day, when the president-elect takes the oath of office, at which point the powers, immunities, and responsibilities of the presidency are legally transferred to the new president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 United States presidential election</span> 57th quadrennial U.S. presidential election

The 2012 United States presidential election was the 57th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012. Incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama and his running mate, incumbent Vice President Joe Biden, were re-elected to a second term. They defeated the Republican ticket of businessman and former Governor Mitt Romney of Massachusetts and Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mitt Romney 2012 presidential campaign</span> US 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stuart Stevens</span> American writer and political consultant

Stuart Stevens is an American travel writer and political consultant. He was the cofounder of Washington, D.C. - based political media consultancy Stevens & Schriefer Group. In 2013, he became a founding partner in Strategic Partners & Media. He served as a top strategist for Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign in addition to several other significant presidential campaigns over the course of his career. He later joined The Lincoln Project, a Republican Never Trump group for the 2020 United States presidential election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barack Obama vs. Mitt Romney (video)</span> 2012 single by Epic Rap Battles of History

"Barack Obama vs. Mitt Romney" is a song and music video, performed by Iman "Alphacat" Crosson, Peter "Nice Peter" Shukoff, and Lloyd "EpicLLOYD" Ahlquist. It is the 8th episode of the 2nd season of the YouTube video series Epic Rap Battles of History. The video was released on October 15, 2012 on the show's YouTube channel in anticipation of the 2012 US presidential election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 United States presidential election in Georgia</span> Election in Georgia

The 2016 United States presidential election in Georgia was held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016, as part of the 2016 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. Georgia voters chose electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote, pitting the Republican Party's nominee, businessman Donald Trump, and running mate Indiana Governor Mike Pence against Democratic Party nominee, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and her running mate Virginia Senator Tim Kaine. Georgia has 16 electoral votes in the Electoral College.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 United States presidential election in New York</span>

The 2016 United States presidential election in New York was held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016, as part of the 2016 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. New York voters chose electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote, pitting the Republican Party's nominee, businessman Donald Trump, and running mate Indiana Governor Mike Pence against Democratic Party nominee, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and her running mate Virginia Senator Tim Kaine. New York has 29 electoral votes in the Electoral College.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 United States presidential election in Kansas</span> Election in Kansas

The 2016 United States presidential election in Kansas was held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016, as part of the 2016 United States presidential election in which all 50 states and the District of Columbia participated. Kansas voters chose electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote, pitting the Republican Party's nominee, businessman Donald Trump, and running mate Indiana Governor Mike Pence against Democratic Party nominee, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and her running mate Virginia Senator Tim Kaine. Kansas has six electoral votes in the Electoral College.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 United States presidential election in Wisconsin</span>

The 2016 United States presidential election in Wisconsin was held on November 8, 2016, as part of the 2016 United States presidential election. Wisconsin voters chose 10 electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote pitting Republican Party nominee Donald Trump against Democratic Party nominee Hillary Clinton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 United States presidential election in Oregon</span> Election in Oregon

The 2016 United States presidential election in Oregon was held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016, as part of the 2016 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. Oregon voters chose electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote, pitting the Republican Party's nominee, businessman Donald Trump, and running mate Indiana Governor Mike Pence against Democratic Party nominee, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and her running mate Virginia Senator Tim Kaine. Oregon has seven electoral votes in the Electoral College.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 United States presidential election in Utah</span> Election in Utah

The 2016 United States presidential election in Utah was held on November 8, 2016, as part of the 2016 United States presidential election which was also held in the other 49 states and in the District of Columbia. Voters were asked to pick 6 electors to be pledged for a candidate in the Electoral College. The two main tickets of the election were the Republican one, consisting of businessman Donald Trump and Indiana Governor Mike Pence, and the Democratic one, consisting of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Virginia Senator Tim Kaine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mitt Romney's 2016 anti-Trump speech</span> Political speech

On March 3, 2016, U.S. Republican politician Mitt Romney delivered a major speech for the Hinckley Institute of Politics at the Libby Gardner Hall in the University of Utah. In that speech, he denounced Donald Trump, who was then the front-runner in the 2016 Republican Party presidential primaries. He urged citizens to use tactical voting in the remaining primaries and caucuses to maximize the chance of denying Trump a delegate majority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Presidential transition of Donald Trump</span> Transfer of presidential power from Barack Obama to Donald Trump

Planning for the presidential transition of Donald Trump, led by then vice president-elect, former governor Mike Pence of Indiana, began before Donald Trump won the United States presidential election on November 8, 2016, and became the president-elect. Trump was formally elected by the Electoral College on December 19, 2016. The transition was formerly led by Chris Christie until he and a number of his supporters were replaced or demoted on November 11. The results were certified by a joint session of Congress on January 6, 2017, and the transition ended when Trump was inaugurated at noon EST on January 20, 2017.

A presidential transition was contingently planned for a potential transition from President Barack Obama to 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in accordance with the Pre-Election Presidential Transition Act of 2010 and the Edward "Ted" Kaufman and Michael Leavitt Presidential Transitions Improvements Act of 2015. Since Clinton lost the 2016 election to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, this transition never went into effect.

Rebekah Mercer is an American heiress and Republican political donor who is the director of the Mercer Family Foundation. She began overseeing day-to-day operations of political projects for the Mercer family when the Mercers became involved in conservative causes. Her father, billionaire Robert Mercer, said in November 2017 that he had sold his stake in the news site Breitbart to his daughters. In August 2018, she funded and co-founded the social networking service Parler.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Presidential transition of Joe Biden</span> Transfer of presidential power from Donald Trump to Joe Biden

The presidential transition of Joe Biden began on November 7, 2020 and ended on January 20, 2021. Unlike previous presidential transitions, which normally take place during the roughly 10-week period between the election in the first week of November and the inauguration on January 20, Biden's presidential transition was shortened somewhat because the General Services Administration under the outgoing Trump administration did not recognize Biden as the "apparent winner" until November 23.

References

  1. 1 2 Clark, Charles (May 29, 2013). "Romney Readiness Team Reunites to Review Lessons Learned". Government Executive . Retrieved May 13, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 Keane, Angela (May 6, 2016). "Trump Campaign Upends the Science of Presidential Transition". Bloomberg Politics . Retrieved May 13, 2016.
  3. ↑ Steinmetz, Katy (November 15, 2012). "Planning a Presidency That Never Was: Inside the Romney Transition Team". Time . Retrieved May 13, 2016.
  4. ↑ Hayden, Eric (November 8, 2012). "Mitt Romney's Transition Website: Where 'President-Elect' Romney Lives On". Time . Retrieved January 22, 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 Parker, Ashley (August 16, 2012). "Campaigning Aside, Team Plans a Romney Presidency". The New York Times . Retrieved January 22, 2016.
  6. ↑ Palmer, Anna (September 24, 2012). "Mitt transition efforts intensifying". Politico . Retrieved January 22, 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 Fund, John (January 13, 2013). "What was Romney Planning?". National Review . Retrieved January 22, 2016.
  8. ↑ Eaton, Kit (November 8, 2012). "If Mitt Romney Had Won, Is This What His Website Would've Looked Like?". Fast Company . Retrieved January 22, 2016.
  9. 1 2 Berman, Russell (April 22, 2016). "The Most Important Takeover of Any Organization in History". The Atlantic . Retrieved May 29, 2016.
  10. ↑ Canham, Mike (May 20, 2014). "Former Gov. Mike Leavitt advising Donald Trump's transition team". The Salt Lake Tribune . Retrieved May 22, 2016.
  11. ↑ Rein, Lisa (May 20, 2016). "As he begins transition planning, Trump turns to unlikely source: Romney-world". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
  12. ↑ Faulders, Katherine (May 20, 2016). "Donald Trump Camp Enlists Former Romney Aide Mike Leavitt in Transition Talks". ABC News . Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  13. ↑ Hicken, Jackie (May 29, 2013). "Blueprint outlines work former Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt, others did to prepare for President Romney". Deseret News . Retrieved January 22, 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.