Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney ran an unsuccessful campaign for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008, dropping out of the race after Super Tuesday, on February 7, 2008.

Although Romney says he is not thinking about the 2012 presidential election, a June 28 article by the Politico speaks of his former campaign staffers staying together to plan another presidential run. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0609/24316.html

His father was former Michigan Governor and American Motors Corporation Chairman George Romney, and his mother, Lenore Romney, ran for the Senate in 1970.

After graduating with a JD and MBA from Harvard University, Romney started work as a management consultent for Bain and Company, and eventually co-founded the spinoff investment firm, Bain Capital.

He left the company to take a job organizing the Salt Like City Olympic Games.

He ran unsuccessfully to represent Massachusetts in the Senate in 1994, but lost to long-time incumbent Edward Kennedy.

Romney won a 2002 election to become Massachusetts' Governor.

During his 2008 campaign, he faced criticism from Republicans for some of the stances he took as Governor of a more liberal state, such as mandating that every citizen have health insurance, supporting gun control measures, raising the tax burden and legalizing civil unions for gay couples.

Romney declined to seek re-election in Massachusetts in order to make a run for President. He placed second in the early voting in both Iowa and New Hampshire. It's estimated that Romney invested about $35 million to his own campaign.

Much of the campaign centered around voter concerns about Romney's moderate voting history as Governor, and his sudden reversal now that he was running for President, which led to accusations of opportunism or insincerity.

His Mormon faith may have also been a factor, and Romney gave a major speech on faith during the campaign to quell such concerns.