Washington D.C. didn’t end up being Mitt Romney’s base for the next four years, but the former presidential hopeful is still returning to the area. Romney will head back to the nation’s capital, Friday (Jan. 25) to attend a luncheon where he and wife, Ann, will be honored.
The 65-year-old will be spotlighted at D.C.’s J.W. Marriott, a ceremony which will be helmed by philanthropist Catherine Reynolds, and Bill Marriott Jr.—both of whom where two of his major campaign fundraisers.
Reynolds office confirmed that the former governor would attend.
Following his election loss, Romney rejoined the board of directors for Marriott International. His previous tenure with the company was from 1993-2002, and 2009-2011. Romney stepped down from his position both times to run for political office.
Still keeping a low profile since missing out on the presidency, the father of five can’t seem to escape reminders of the defeat. He has been added to a “They Also Ran Gallery,” at a location in Norton, Kansas.
According to its website, the gallery was launched to highlight “those rejected…and defeated,” by figuring out how said candidates pursued presidential dreams. “What he said and what he did in the heat of the race is not important now,” reads a statement on the site. “There came the acid test, the cruel moment when the defeated stood alone, politically naked for the entire world to gaze upon. The inner man revealed, hurled down from the exhilarating height of near achievement and hope. He suffers the pain of such a devastating blow. Where now? Friends will rally around, but he knows that it is his own motivating power generated within himself that must carry him on.”
Despite the humiliating premise, curator Lee Ann Sheared claims to have tried to make the event like “a party and little inauguration.”
Romney’s image will be the 60th portrait to hang in the gallery, which also features Sen. John McCain, who lost against President Obama in the 2008 election.
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Photo: newmediarockstars.com
