Mitt Romney: From 'No, No, No, No, No' to 'Thinking About' 2016 [Says He Has New Message!]

Mitt Romney: From 'No, No, No, No, No' to 'Thinking About' 2016 Jan 9, 2015, 6:08 PM ET By RICK KLEIN

Former Gov. Mitt Romney told a group of supporters in New York on Friday that he’s considering a third run for the White House in 2016, two sources close to Romney confirm to ABC News.

The meeting was convened in Manhattan on Romney’s behalf for a group of New York-based backers who have continued to express interest in Romney running again. It was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

Mitt Romney Insiders Are Trying To Kill 'Draft Mitt' Mitt Romney and 2016: Could It Be True? How Many Romney Staffers Did It Take To Send a Tweet? The former Massachusetts governor used the occasion to modify public and private statements he’s made about not being interested in running again.

Almost exactly one year ago Romney categorically ruled out another run, telling The New York Times, "Oh, no, no, no. No, no, no, no, no. No, no, no.”

“People are always gracious and say, ‘Oh, you should run again,’” he said in the Jan. 2014 interview. “I’m not running again.”

But now, associates said he felt it was time to deliver a different message -- to keep his options open.

“He’s sharing that he’s thinking about it – that he’s simply thinking about it,” one source close to Romney said. “He wanted to be up front with his biggest supporters.”

I would freak out if Rand Paul emerged from New Hampshire because

A)He’s a tarditarian, not a conservative
B)He can’t win a general election

Walker is my first choice. If the GOPE is down with that, good for them. Someone acceptable to both sides would be just fine with me. Charles Evans Hugues.

right now, I’d say the winner of NH would be Rand Paul or Romney with Jeb an underdog. I do not see a road to victory for a “conservative” in NH.

So what is your preference?

Mine is to see that the leading conservative competes and gets 3rd place ... otherwise it opens the door for another conservative” to get 3rd and muddy the waters.

It’s best if Paul loses and fades so he stops taking votes from real conservatives, I have trouble seeing the GOPE lose if Paul makes a deep run. I would not support for Jeb or Paul or Romney (unless it was a 2-way race with Jeb) in a primary.

“Mine is to see that the leading conservative competes and gets 3rd place “

Yes.

Rick Wiley is a Managing Director in Mercury’s Washington, D.C. office.

Rick is an experienced political operative, having managed state and national political campaigns and organizations since the early 1990s.  

In 2014, Wiley was the Republican Governor’s Association lead liaison to the winning gubernatorial races for Governor Bruce Rauner in Illinois, Governor Scott Walker in Wisconsin and Governor Greg Abbott in Texas. He also played the same role for the National Republican Senatorial Committee in the victory for Senator Joni Ernst in Iowa.

Before joining Mercury, Rick served as Political Director at the Republican National Committee for two years, seeing the organization through the 2012 cycle; prior to that role, Rick served as Regional Political Director at the RNC through the 2010 midterm cycle.

As RNC Political Director, Rick guided the ground game for the Romney/Ryan ticket, managing a $178 million national budget. The results of the grassroots program were historic with over 65 million volunteer voter contacts made.

Prior to his time at the RNC, Rick served as Deputy National Political Director for the 2008 Giuliani Presidential Campaign, and was Executive Director of the Wisconsin Republican Party in 2005. In 2004, Rick served as the Republican National Committee Victory Director for President Bush’s re-election campaign in Wisconsin. While leading the state’s turnout effort, 240,000 more Republicans turned out for President Bush in 2004 than 2000.  

Rick’s early career includes stints as the Political Director of the Wisconsin Republican Party in 2001-2002, managing the Associated Builders & Contractors Mid-West Political operation during the 2000 Election Cycle, and running Illinois State Comptroller Loleta Didrickson’s Senate primary campaign.  

A proud Illinois native and avid Chicago Cubs/Bears fan, Rick resides in Austin, Texas.

It looks like Marco Rubio will pass on running for the presidency in 2016 and instead running for reelection to the Senate; he might then run for governor in 2018 and perhaps president in 2020 or 2024:

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/state/florida/article6031338.html

I hope that either Patrick Murphy or Gwen Graham run for the Senate for the Dems (or, even better, both of them), since the GOP likely would pick up the House seat or whichever of the two ran, and Rubio would beat either one of them.

The article also says that AG Pam Bondi might take on Bill Nelson in the 2018 Senate race (assuming that Nelson seeks reelection; he might decide to run for governor instead). Sounds pretty good to me. Of course, Gov. Rick Scott might seek the Senate seat as well, and Adam Putnam and Jeff Atwater likely will run for either governor or the Senate that year, so it could be a crowded field.

Walker getting attention.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2015/01/11/romney-huckabee-or-walker-whos-most-important/

It is hard to be optimistic about this since our effort is so dominated by the Iowa Christian Right ... cannot think of a group that has poorer judgment.

Well if Rubs is elected Governor in ‘18 and wanted to run for POTUS in 2020 (hopefully this is precluded by a GOP incumbent) he’d have to start running for President almost immediately after getting elected Governor, so what would be the point of the being Governor?

Wiley, sounds like a solid choice for Walker’s campaign.

No Paul Ryan, sexcellent. Looks like Walker is going for it.

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