New York:
His credentials are impeccable. The son of former Michigan Governor George W Romney, Mitt has a law degree and an MBA from Harvard.
In 1984, he founded private equity firm Bain Capital, which went on to become one of the most successful firms of its kind in the world and which now manages roughly $65 billion in assets.
As president of the organising committee, Mr Romney is credited with turning the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, which were plagued with corruption scandals and organizational delays, into a grand success. And he has served as Governor of Massachusetts, a Democratic bastion and home of the Kennedys, where he enjoyed high approval ratings throughout his term.
But this is no regular election year. At a time when the Occupy Wall Street movement has highlighted the issue of income inequality in America, Romney's career in private equity - which has earned him an estimated $250 million - is at best, a mixed blessing.
His wealth has made him vulnerable to attacks from opponents for employing many of the techniques used to avoidance paying taxes routinely used by America's super rich, including the use of bank accounts in offshore tax havens. But it isn't just his money that could be a problem.
Mr Romney has long been derided for his serial flip-flopping on key issues.
As Governor of Massachusetts, Mr Romney signed into law a bill that required every individual carry health insurance or pay a fine. He now vehemently opposes his own idea, when applied at the federal level by the Obama administration.
According to Michael Doyle, Harold Brown professor of US foreign and security policy at Columbia University, "This leads to suspicion amongst conservatives in the Republican Party. They regard him as an opportunist, a chameleon, someone who will say anything to get elected and therefore they doubt his conservative credentials."
And then there is the elephant in the room. Mitt Romney is a member of the church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints, colloquially known as the "Mormons". Mormons have made significant contributions to American life and achieved high positions in business, government, and academia. Yet, their church's unorthodox beliefs regarding Christianity, its encouragement of polygamy until the early twentieth century, and the generally secretive nature of many of its religious practices have made many Americans somewhat suspicious of Mormons.
A prominent businessman and a religious family man might seem like the ideal Republican Party candidate. Yet, when the business is private equity, the religion in Mormonism, and the year is 2012, strange things can happen. There is almost a sense of indignation about Mitt Romney, as though he simply can't understand why people would even hesitate before picking him over candidates who have openly violated their marital vows and who have few accomplishments outside of politics to their credit. Over the next few weeks, he will have to convince republican America what he clearly believes to be the obvious.
In 1984, he founded private equity firm Bain Capital, which went on to become one of the most successful firms of its kind in the world and which now manages roughly $65 billion in assets.
As president of the organising committee, Mr Romney is credited with turning the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, which were plagued with corruption scandals and organizational delays, into a grand success. And he has served as Governor of Massachusetts, a Democratic bastion and home of the Kennedys, where he enjoyed high approval ratings throughout his term.
But this is no regular election year. At a time when the Occupy Wall Street movement has highlighted the issue of income inequality in America, Romney's career in private equity - which has earned him an estimated $250 million - is at best, a mixed blessing.
His wealth has made him vulnerable to attacks from opponents for employing many of the techniques used to avoidance paying taxes routinely used by America's super rich, including the use of bank accounts in offshore tax havens. But it isn't just his money that could be a problem.
Mr Romney has long been derided for his serial flip-flopping on key issues.
As Governor of Massachusetts, Mr Romney signed into law a bill that required every individual carry health insurance or pay a fine. He now vehemently opposes his own idea, when applied at the federal level by the Obama administration.
According to Michael Doyle, Harold Brown professor of US foreign and security policy at Columbia University, "This leads to suspicion amongst conservatives in the Republican Party. They regard him as an opportunist, a chameleon, someone who will say anything to get elected and therefore they doubt his conservative credentials."
And then there is the elephant in the room. Mitt Romney is a member of the church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints, colloquially known as the "Mormons". Mormons have made significant contributions to American life and achieved high positions in business, government, and academia. Yet, their church's unorthodox beliefs regarding Christianity, its encouragement of polygamy until the early twentieth century, and the generally secretive nature of many of its religious practices have made many Americans somewhat suspicious of Mormons.
A prominent businessman and a religious family man might seem like the ideal Republican Party candidate. Yet, when the business is private equity, the religion in Mormonism, and the year is 2012, strange things can happen. There is almost a sense of indignation about Mitt Romney, as though he simply can't understand why people would even hesitate before picking him over candidates who have openly violated their marital vows and who have few accomplishments outside of politics to their credit. Over the next few weeks, he will have to convince republican America what he clearly believes to be the obvious.
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