When Mitt Romney failed in his 2012 run for the White House, some thought that was the end of him.
When Trump dangled the Secretary of State position in front of him, many felt it was just Trump’s way of bringing one of those who criticized him during the campaign to heel.
They were right.
Romney, however, isn’t exactly going away.
Utah Senator Orrin Hatch has been in his position since 1976. While he is declining to say if he intends to run for reelection in 2018, there are many who speculate that it’s time, and Romney may be just the man to take that seat.
“I don’t have any predictions on what I might do. I’m not going to open a door and I’m not going to close a door. All doors are open,” Romney said in an interview the Deseret News.
Romney added: “I’m not looking forward to anything political at the national level. We’ve got some races coming up here in Utah that are going to be interesting. We’ll see what happens on that front.”
He would likely have a very strong chance of taking that seat, if he chooses to run. He still has name recognition and a strong base of diehard supporters. Many had hoped that he would launch an independent bid for the presidency in 2016, to give an option for conservatives, other than Donald Trump.
Romney was a very vocal critic of Trump’s candidacy. He gave a powerful speech against Trump in March 2016.
He says he doesn’t regret speaking against Trump, but believes Trump has a solid start to the presidency.
“I expressed honestly what my belief was with regards to temperament and character. Now the time has come for us to recognize we have a new president and we have hopes he will be successful leading our country,” Romney said.
And we all want our president to do well, because if he does well, the nation does well. One way to assure he does well is to have good people in the legislative branch to hold him accountable, and to propose and vote on good law.
Others who may vie for the seat include former Governor Jon Huntsman Jr. and Romney’s own son, Josh Romney.
Won’t that make for lively family get togethers?
I’m not in Utah, so I’ve got no dog in that hunt, but I think Romney in the Senate would make for a solid addition.
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