Why Mitt Romney Was Booed Publicly
Mitt Romney didn't get the welcome he expected at the Utah Republican Party convention. According to The Guardian, the senator was booed on Saturday along with being called a "traitor" and "communist" during his speech. For someone who was once the 2012 Republican presidential nominee, it wasn't the warm welcome he once received from his own party.
The Utah senator tried to calm the crowd down by reminding them that he's "been a Republican all of [his] life" and even his "dad was the governor of Michigan" (via CBS News). He even asked the booing crowd, "Aren't you embarrassed?" The less-than-warm welcome can be attributed to the current division within the Republican party over their views on the last president. There were even reports that current GOP leaders were looking to split from the party and start a more anti-Trump third party (via CBS News). Even though it's been four months since Trump left office, the harsh response to Romney at the Utah convention just proves that there is still a major divide among Republicans.
The Utah Republican Party convention didn't like that Romney voted to impeach Trump twice
Out of every Republican in Congress, Sen. Mitt Romney was the only one to vote to impeach Donald Trump twice. From the outbursts at the convention, it seems that a few of the more 2,100 Republican delegates there were not happy about Romney's disapproval of Donald Trump. Despite the outcries, the senator stood his ground and even said, "I'm a man who says what he means, and you know I was not a fan of our last president's character issues" (via The Salt Lake Tribune).
After Romney's speech, there was a motion to censure him for his votes, but the bid failed, according to Politico. However, it was a very close vote: 798 to 711. The censure was a very risky move according to Salt Lake County delegate Emily de Azavedo Brown, who said that the vote could center the party around Trump and become a "party of a person" rather than "a party of principle."
Even though the censure bid failed, the reactions at the Utah convention just prove that there is still major division within the GOP. However, Romney did try to end his speech on a positive note, saying, "We need to come together in strength and unity" (via the Daily Mail).