Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney acknowledged Friday that he is once again considering running for the Republican presidential nomination, saying that the country is in worse shape on both the domestic and foreign fronts since President Barack Obama took office.
“Me, I’m giving some serious consideration to the future,” Romney said in remarks to members of the Republican National Committee. “But this I know, we can win in 2016 as a party in the House in the Senate and in the White House if we communicate a clear vision of where we are taking this country.”
Romney indicated his wife, Ann, is supportive of his decision to consider running again.
News of Romney’s sudden interest in once again seeking the nomination became the main topic of discussion at the RNC Winter Meeting this week, overshadowing other major news including the announcement of dates for the 2016 Republican National Convention and the unveiling of a presidential primary debate schedule.
“I think that he has been the dominant talk here,” said Saul Anuzis, a former chairman and national committeeman from Michigan. “Most people were surprised. He is very well respected and liked here, but he has got to make a case for running a third time. And especially when we have such a strong field. When you take look at this … I don’t think ever in history we have had such a strong field of candidates.”
A “strong field” is one of the major obstacles facing Romney if he chooses to run again as well as calls for a fresh face for the GOP to put forward as the party nominee. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who is seriously considering running for president himself, emphasized that point several times Thursday night during his speech at the RNC.
Maryland GOP Chair Diana Waterman said that people were “intrigued” by Romney’s decision to consider another run, but noted Republican voters will be sizing up the full field of candidates before making decision.
“The bottom line is we want to choose a candidate that we’re going to take all the way to the White House,” she said. “I am not sure who that is going to be yet.”
Even in New Hampshire, arguably Romney’s strongest state outside of Utah, he would have to campaign hard to convince voters to give him another chance, said Jennifer Horn, chair of the New Hampshire Republican Party.
“Obviously, Mitt comes into New Hampshire with a certain advantage, but all of the candidates have advantages and challenges they have to overcome,” she said. “Governor Romney has a strong base of loyal supporters in our state, but at the same time, he is going to have to set up an operation and win the votes one at a time just like everyone else. It is not a gimme for anybody.”
In his speech Friday, Romney not only hit the current President. He aimed his attack at a possible future opponent in 2016: former secretary of state Hillary Clinton.
“The results of the Hillary Clinton-Barack Obama foreign policy have been devastating and you know that,” Romney said at the San Diego gathering, highlighting examples of terrorism in France, Nigeria and Yemen as examples of how policies from Obama and Clinton haven’t worked to make America safer.
The highly anticipated speech lasted under 15 minutes and Romney, who at first appeared with Ann, didn’t offer any further details on where he is in the decision process on whether to run for president again. Instead, Romney spent a good portion of his opener crediting the new wave of 2014 Republican winners from the midterms and praising the RNC’s efforts this past year as well as the previous election cycle.
It’s been a busy week for the former 2012 Republican nominee, who is suddenly leaning in for a 2016 presidential run. And political insiders will be watching Romney’s Friday speech closely, looking for every indication of how serious the former nominee really is.
So far, it looks like he’s pretty serious. Romney spent the last week phoning donors, former staffers and political backers, letting them know that he’s seriously thinking about entering the 2016 fray of Republican hopefuls — signaling to everyone else that he doesn’t care who knows.
The former presidential candidate — who indicated he was through with his presidential aspirations after the 2012 campaign — is already beginning to assemble a campaign team. Colin Reed, who’s worked in Romney’s press operation before, is already going to work for Romney on a “volunteer basis.”
Even Reince Priebus, the RNC’s chairman, believes Romney is likely to launch a presidential campaign.
“I was betting Romney wasn’t going to run, so I owe a couple of dinners on that – I think I’m probably going to have to be paying,” Priebus told the Washington Post on Thursday.
For those questioning a third run — many conservatives are already openly opposed to the thought of a Romney re-repeat — Romney is making it known that he’s learned from his 2012 mistakes and that Romney 3.0 will be a different campaign.
The Coronado, California gathering of Republicans has been a steady spotlight for prospective 2016 presidential candidates as Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and neurosurgeon Ben Carson addressed the confab Thursday. Just hours before Romney took the stage, one of his most combative opponents in the 2012 primary — Texas Gov. Rick Perry — skipped an opportunity to criticize the former Massachusetts governor.