Mitt Romney on Friday announced he’s running for Utah’s Senate seat, launching a campaign that will almost certainly succeed and will only be burdened by attributes that candidates normally kill for — universal name recognition and the captivated attention of the national press corps.

Mindful of that, the Republican nominee for the White House in 2012 (and governor of Massachusetts, 2,367 miles to the east, from 2002 to 2006) went with an understated campaign launch on social media, instead of a staged, presidential-style campaign rally.