Who will follow Romney’s lead?

When Mitt Romney stepped down as Massachusetts governor (and our boss) on Jan. 4, 2007, we were convinced that he was destined to go on to accomplish great things on the national political stage. That time has come.

The first American since Sam Houston to be elected governor and U.S. senator from different states, Romney is making history in more than just that passing way. After only two years in the Senate, he has become that body’s most visible pillar of integrity. Any senator making an appeal to honor or decency has a natural ally in Romney. The same goes for any senator, Republican or Democrat, trying to promote a good policy idea.

Few national figures have so transcended partisanship and more thoroughly embraced devotion to the public good. As Romney’s fellow senators contemplate the competing tugs of pragmatism and principle, they would do well to turn to his example as a guiding light. Sitting as jurors in this week’s impeachment trial, each senator will have to answer to his or her conscience and to the call of history.

Romney’s bipartisan instincts, as well as his penchant for truth-telling, were on display during the major events and critical moments of his governorship. His signature initiative to extend health care to all Massachusetts residents was the product of skillful outreach to Sen. Edward M. Kennedy followed by bipartisan compromise with the Democratically controlled Legislature. When the Ted Williams Tunnel ceiling collapsed, he plumbed the facts, laid bare what had happened, dismissed those responsible and restored public confidence.

For those of us who have worked in his orbit, Romney’s early moves as a senator were no surprise. Immediately after winning election, with no fanfare, he sought one-on-one appointments with every senator, Republican or Democrat, who would agree to a meeting. A telling moment occurred early in his term when President Trump nominated to be a judge a Texas lawyer who had earlier called President Obama “an un-American imposter.” This was too much for Romney, who broke ranks and voted “no,” the lone Republican to do so.

Such gestures bridge divides, and Romney has established himself as a central figure in bipartisan legislative efforts, as he did in December when he joined Sens. Joe Manchin (D), Mark Warner (D), Susan Collins (R) and others to pass a compromise stimulus package.

Romney’s greatest contribution, of course, has been his willingness, party notwithstanding, to speak the truth about President Donald J. Trump. In America’s 245-year history, he is the one senator who has voted to convict and remove a president of his own party. On Jan. 6, in the aftermath of the Capitol riot, Romney did not need the help of staff to intone this summary of what was needed: “The best way we could show respect for the voters who are upset is by telling them the truth.” It earned him the rarest of Senate responses: genuine, spontaneous, bipartisan applause.

In explaining Romney’s willingness to elevate what’s right over what’s expected, we suspect the memory of his father, the late Michigan Gov. George Romney, who marched beside the Rev. Martin Luther King in the 1960s, figures significantly. We remember numerous private conversations in which Romney spoke reverently of his father, who he liked to call “the real Governor Romney.”

Last June, when he marched with Black Lives Matter, Romney paid homage to his father. We also suspect Romney’s moral clarity is guided by thoughts of his children and grandchildren, present and future. “How will I explain this vote to my grandchildren?” is a good lens for any senator to look through in making an historic decision.

Mark Nielsen is a former Connecticut state senator and, currently, serves as chief legal officer of Norwalk-based Frontier Communications. He served as Gov. Mitt Romney’s chief legal counsel from 2004 to 2006, and his chief of staff from 2006 to 2007. Thomas Trimarco served as Romney’s secretary of administration and finance from 2005 to 2007.