Senator Mitt Romney’s recent announcement of his decision not to seek re-election next year has set off a flurry of speculation in Washington. Analysts are eager to discern the underlying implications of the Utah senator’s departure from public office. Does Romney’s retirement signal the decline of the moderate center in the Senate? Is it the culmination of former President Donald Trump’s influence over the GOP? Or perhaps a principled rejection of Washington’s entrenched senior leadership?
However, according to former Tennessee Senator Bob Corker, a one-time Republican colleague of Romney’s who retired from the Senate in 2019, there might be a straightforward reason for Romney’s choice: life after the Senate can offer a pleasant alternative.
Corker, who transitioned from a successful real estate career to a Senate seat in 2006, remarked, “I considered serving in the Senate the greatest privilege of my life, but I just haven’t missed it. I was able to easily transition into another world without regrets. I believe Mitt Romney will be able to do the same.”
Even before their early retirements, Corker and Romney shared many similarities. Both were moderate Republican critics of Trump and had prosperous careers in the private sector before entering politics. Likewise, their careers in Washington were far from lackluster. Corker chaired the influential Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 2015 to 2019 and ascended to become a senior member of the Senate Banking Committee.
However, by the time Corker left, he no longer felt that his style of politics had a place in the Senate. He reflected, “The number of individuals willing to invest political capital in bipartisan efforts to address issues was dwindling.”
Corker now admits that this latest phase of his career, where he served as the chair of a major real estate company, chairman of a healthcare company, and a senior advisor to the investment bank Jefferies, has been “the best period of my life.” When asked for his advice to Romney upon leaving the Senate, Corker, on his way to play golf with a famous country singer in Nashville, shared his thoughts.
The following conversation has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Ian Ward: What was your reaction to Sen. Romney’s announcement? Were you surprised at all?
Bob Corker: I wasn’t really surprised. I read the article in The Atlantic, and when you go to Washington having accomplished a lot, especially as a businessperson, you’re there to solve problems and make a difference. I understand that the current environment may not be as conducive to that as it was at other times, so I can see why he might want to explore other avenues.
Ward: You and Sen. Romney were seen as some of the last remaining moderate Republican critics of Trump in the Senate. Does his retirement mark the end of an era?
Corker: Oh, I’m not sure. I don’t pay a lot of attention to what each senator is doing or not doing. But obviously… hold on, let me just do one thing. [Inaudible yelling.] Sorry about that, that’s Kix Brooks, a country singer here in Tennessee. I’m in Nashville for business, and now I’m going to play golf with him, which is a rare occasion.
Ward: Are you playing a lot of golf these days?
Corker: Not really. I still love working. But, you know, the general storyline about people like myself and Mitt… it’s the greatest privilege in the world to serve in the Senate, but I had told citizens back home that I would only serve two terms. I do think Mitt is an accomplished person, and when you realize that the serious issues facing our nation are unlikely to be discussed, you consider doing other productive things. I mean, if you look at the presidential race today, neither of the two leading candidates is even discussing solutions to our nation’s biggest issues right now. So I can understand why, at this age and this stage of life, he would contemplate doing something else with the remaining energetic years.
Ward: How does age factor into that decision? You were in your late 60s when you left, and Romney’s in his mid-70s.
Corker: I was 66 years old when I left, and I still wake up at 4:30 in the morning feeling as active and energetic as ever…
