Tagg Romney

Taggart Mitt Romney
Born	(1970-03-21) March 21, 1970 Provo, Utah, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, management consultant, venture capitalist, political strategist
Known for	Partner at Solamere Capital; senior aide to Mitt Romney's presidential campaigns
Spouse	Jennifer
Children	6

Taggart Mitt Romney (born March 21, 1970) is an American entrepreneur, management consultant, venture capitalist, and political strategist. He is the firstborn son of businessman and former U.S. Senator Mitt Romney.

Early life and education

As the eldest child of Ann and Mitt Romney, Tagg was born in Provo, Utah during the time both his parents were students at Brigham Young University (BYU). He completed his secondary education at Belmont Hill School before graduating magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in economics from BYU. Subsequently, he earned an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Career

Romney has held senior marketing positions with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Reebok, and served as director of strategic planning at Elan Pharmaceuticals. He founded Season Perks, a software development firm which he later sold. Additionally, he worked as a consultant for Monitor Group and McKinsey and Co. Currently, he is a partner at Solamere Capital, a private equity firm he co-founded with Spencer Zwick and Eric Scheuermann. Notably, Zwick was also the finance chair for Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential bid.

In political involvement, Romney acted as a senior aide during his father’s 2008 presidential campaign and the 2002 Massachusetts gubernatorial race. He also advised the 2012 presidential campaign, where he gained media attention in the lead-up to the election.

In June 2014, Solamere Capital sponsored the third annual "Romney Retreat" held at Stein Eriksen Lodge in Park City, Utah. This gathering brought together prominent Republican leaders, business executives such as Meg Whitman and Harold Hamm, former Secretary of State George P. Shultz, and NFL quarterback Peyton Manning.

There was speculation in 2013 regarding Romney potentially running for the U.S. Senate seat from Massachusetts in 2014; however, he declined to pursue this opportunity due to timing considerations.

2012 presidential election

Following the second presidential debate, a North Carolina radio host asked Romney how it felt "to hear the president of the United States call your dad a liar." Romney responded with laughter, stating he wanted to "rush down to the stage and take a swing at him," but recognized that the Secret Service and campaign protocols prevented such action. He further commented, "They’re going to attempt to portray my dad as someone he is not. We understood what we were facing, so we just have to endure the attacks, remain resilient, and prepare to respond." A campaign representative later clarified that these comments were made humorously.

Concerns emerged when HIG Capital, an investment affiliate of Romney’s firm Solamere, provided voting machines in Ohio prior to the November elections. However, a spokesperson for Solamere confirmed that neither Solamere nor its partners held ownership or investments in the voting machine manufacturer Hart InterCivic or its associated funds.

In 2012, National Journal identified Romney as one of ten Republicans worth following on Twitter. Despite his political involvement, Romney stated that he had no intention of seeking elected office himself.

Post-2012 election

By 2015, Romney expressed mixed emotions—feeling both "sad and relieved"—regarding his father’s choice not to enter the 2016 Republican presidential race.

Personal life

Romney and his spouse, Jennifer, are parents to six children, three of whom were born through the use of surrogate mothers. Their family is based in Belmont, Massachusetts.

External links

• Interview audio from a North Carolina radio station, featured on BuzzFeed