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Before being elected governor of Massachusetts in 2002, Mitt Romney headed up the Salt Lake City Olympic Organizing Committee earlier that same year. He had also made a run for the U.S. Senate against Ted Kennedy in 1994 and lost. However, he did so much better against Kennedy that most of his previous challengers had done, that his loss actually helped boost his political career.

Since being elected governor, he has become one of the bright young stars of the Republican Party and surprisingly finished second in a recent straw poll of Republican insiders. Romney is a good speaker and an excellent campaigner. This could give him a big advantage over many of the other GOP hopefuls, which are perceived by many to be dull and boring. However, his Mormon faith could hurt him with religious fundamentalists in the GOP primaries. Many of them feel that Mormonism is a cult.

His father, the late George Romney, served as governor of Michigan and sought the Republican presidential nomination in 1968 but lost to Richard Nixon. His father's remarks made during the nominating process about having been "brainwashed" about Viet Nam ultimately cost him the nomination. Should Mitt Romney decide to run, he will want to avoid that kind of blunder.

About the Author

Terry Mitchell is a software engineer, free-lance writer, amateur political analyst, and blogger from Hopewell, VA. On his blog - http://commenterry.blogs.com - he posts commentaries on various subjects such as politics, technology, religion, health and well-being, personal finance, and sports. His commentaries offer a unique point of view that is not often found in mainstream media.