Romney to Quit Presidential Race

Mitt Romney with his wife Ann in Boston on Tuesday. (Richard Perry/The New York Times)

Mitt Romney is suspending his campaign for president having made the final decision last night according to a campaign source who asked to remain anonymous.

He made the final decision last night as he was preparing his speech for Thursday at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington the source said.

“The speech will speak for itself” the source said.

Mr. Romney faced a series of enormous challenges in the campaign not the least of which was trying to reconcile the moderate political views he espoused as the governor of Massachusetts a liberal state with the more conservative views he championed on the campaign. That tension – and his decision to change positions on a number of emotionally-charged issues including renouncing his past support for abortion rights – led his rivals to continually lambaste him as a flip-flopper.

Then there was the question of his Mormon religion. After the candidacy of Mike Huckabee a former Baptist preacher exploded in Iowa where it was fueled by evangelical voters Mr. Romney was moved to give a major speech in Texas defending his faith and denouncing the rise of secularism.

And although Mr. Romney a former management consultant ran what many described as a textbook campaign he never really recovered after failing to execute the original strategy of winning the first two contests in Iowa and New Hampshire and using those wins to build momentum. Iowa went to Mr. Huckabee and New Hampshire to Mr. McCain who tried to paint himself as a straight talker to contrast with Mr. Romney’s flexibility.

Members of the campaign staff were told they will be getting two weeks pay according one staffer.

As Mr. Romney was making his decision his advisers were simultaneously Wednesday making preparations for a turnout effort in Kansas and Washington which vote on Saturday as well as Virginia Maryland and the District of Columbia which are voting Tuesday.