Speculation about Mitt Romney running for president again in 2016 is increasing as Romney’s popularity rises in the midterm campaign trail.
Romney’s two bids so far have failed but it seems that the former Massachusetts governor is emerging as one of the Republican Party’s most in-demand campaign surrogates.
Romney is scheduled to campaign for GOP candidates in West Virginia, North Carolina, and Arkansas in mid-August and also has planned visits to Colorado and Virginia in September, reported the Washington Post.
Romney, , is also close to finalizing travels to Iowa and New Hampshire, among other states, in October.
“Democrats don’t want to be associated with Barack Obama right now, but Republicans are dying to be associated with Mitt Romney,” said Spencer Zwick, a longtime Romney confidant who chaired his national finance council.
He added: “Candidates, campaigns and donors in competitive races are calling saying, ‘Can we get Mitt here?’ They say, ‘We’ve looked at the polling, and Mitt Romney moves the needle for us.’ That’s somewhat unexpected for someone who lost the election.”
“There’s a pretty big void in the party right now for national leaders, and Romney’s in a unique position, having been around the track, to help fill that void,” said Scott Reed, a veteran GOP strategist who oversees the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s political operation.
Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead, whom Romney recently endorsed for reelection, was asked whether he and other Republican officials are viewing Romney as a 2016 candidate.
“There is a movement afoot,” Mead said.
“I‘d tell him, ’Governor Romney, people here in Wyoming and around the country would encourage you to take another look at it.' ”
The article about Republicans seeking Romney’s support while Democrats shy away from Barack Obama is the most popular in the Post’s politics section, right above a video about Romney’s prior predictions for the future.
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