What Will Become Of Mitt Romney?

It has been a long and rocky road for Mitt Romney. He essentially has been running for President for the last six years. From the time he challenged John McCain for the nomination in 2006 right up until this past Tuesday night, he has only known campaigning and trying to be heard. But what does the future hold for Mitt Romney? Right now the doctor is probably prescribing a little rest. Spend some time with family and try to figure out what to do in life.

It isn’t like Romney has no options. He is a successful multimillionaire business man with a resume that could impress even the most ardent liberal. He has years of political and non-profit experience and the connections that go with it.

The only thing he will not be doing, according to his wife, is run for public office again.

Ann Romney said on The View back in September:

“Absolutely he will not run again, nor will I.”

Romney probably does not have an immediate place in the Republican Party. Many conservatives blame Romney’s pivot to the center during the general election as the cause for his shellacking by President Obama. Moderates also feel like his ultraconservative tone in the primaries contributed to his loss. For both Romney and the Republican party, this will be a time for introspection and plotting a future course.

So what can Mitt Romney do with his time?

1. He can go back into the private sector: There will be big businesses tripping over each other to at least get Romney on their board of directors. There will be an equally infinite amount of big businesses that wouldn’t mind him at the helm.

2. He could go into philanthropy: The millions he has in the bank and additionally his fundraising ability could allow him to dedicate himself to any cause he wants to advance. He made his values a strong issue in the campaign; maybe he wants to promote those values in the future.

3. The Olympics: Romney already very successfully ran the 2002 games in Salt Lake City; he would be a valuable addition to any city looking to host the games in the future or for securing more bids for the United States.

4. Political: Romney will most likely never run for political office again, but that doesn’t stop him from taking a job in either the current administration (if Obama had the courage to nominate him for anything) or in a future Republican administration. He could also get into political advocacy and form his own SuperPAC to influence the 2014 midterms and the 2016 election.

Whatever the future hold for Romney, his grace and humility in bowing out of a bitterly fought campaign with the current President may make sure that we hear his name for years to come.