Romney to join race Tuesday

WASHINGTON — Republican Mitt Romney says he will formally join the 2008 race for the White House next Tuesday with an announcement in his home state of Michigan, then embark on a two-day tour of three early-primary states before heading back to Boston.

His candidacy will mark the fifth attempt by a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to win the presidency. His father, George Romney, a former Michigan governor and also a Mormon, ran for president in 1968.

Romney will make his announcement at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn. Michigan is likely to be a key state in the 2008 race.

The announcement is no surprise, as the former Massachusetts governor started a presidential exploratory committee in early January. A committee aide said Tuesday that Romney will declare his candidacy next week and then travel to Iowa, South Carolina and New Hampshire before attending a finance event at the Boston Convention Center on Feb. 15.

Romney raised more than $6.5 million in a telethon style fund-raising event last month, with supporters calling their friends and colleagues for support.

Beyond his religious affiliation, Romney, 59, is best know in Utah for his work on the 2002 Winter Games, heading the Salt Lake Organizing Committee. He ran successful investment and management companies prior to working in Utah. He is also a graduate of Brigham Young University.

Romney is among at least nine other Republicans attempting to get their party's nomination for the presidency. Chief among them are Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. The party will formally select its nominee at the GOP National Convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn., Sept. 1-4, 2008.

Utah's two GOP U.S. senators support Romney to varying degrees.

Sen. Bob Bennett said Tuesday he will "do everything I can to help him win."

"I've known Mitt long enough to know he would be an extraordinary president, and I'm delighted he is going to formally enter the race," Bennett said.

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said he hasn't officially endorsed anyone but that "no one — Republican or Democrat — can match Mitt Romney's resume as a manager."

Hatch is himself one of the five Mormons who have run for president. He ran against President Bush in 2000 but was not deemed a serious contender. Then-Rep. Morris Udall, D-Ariz., ran in 1976, and Joseph Smith, the founder of the LDS Church, ran in 1844.

In addition to fund raising, Romney has reached out to members of Congress to start a network of supporters both on Capitol Hill and in their home states.