He’s right. Politically speaking, this may well be the wrong decision for him — even though he isn’t up for another term until 2024 and Utah, despite being quite conservative, isn’t exactly Trump country.

Many of Romney’s colleagues — clearly worried about angering the likes of the President and his always-loyal, never-questioning base — found increasingly hard-to-explain ways to justify their decision to avoid the political consequences of a vote to remove the president.

Within hours, when asked about Collins’ comments, Trump reiterated that his July 25, 2019, call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was “perfect” — making clear he had learned absolutely nothing from the impeachment proceedings.

Romney took a different course, making clear in his speech that this was about doing what he believed to be morally right, not politically right. These lines from his floor speech Wednesday powerfully make that point:

“Many demand that, in their words, ‘I stand with the team.’ I can assure you that that thought has been very much on my mind. I support a great deal of what the President has done. I have voted with him 80% of the time. But my promise before God to apply impartial justice required that I put my personal feelings and biases aside. Were I to ignore the evidence that has been presented, and disregard what I believe my oath and the Constitution demands of me for the sake of a partisan end, it would, I fear, expose my character to history’s rebuke and the censure of my own conscience.”

There are things that matter more, Romney was telling his party, than political calculation or the cult of personality that Trump has built over these past 3+ years. There are decisions that transcend the zero-sum game of politics. There are votes that are remembered in history. And this is one of those votes.

To be clear: Romney will not lead a revolt against Trump — on this impeachment vote or more generally. He will be the lone Republican senator to vote to convict Trump on either article of impeachment. Romney will face down the disapprobation of the President and his minions alone.

Which makes what he did all the more remarkable. He knew what voting to convict Trump would mean — for him, his family and his political future. And he did it anyway.

“I am a profoundly religious person,” Romney said, choking up as he sought to get the words out. “I take an oath before God as enormously consequential. I knew from the outset that being tasked with judging the President, the leader of my own party, would be the most difficult decision I have ever faced. I was not wrong.”

No, he was not.