Mitt Romney is re-emerging as an important piece to the Republican puzzle for the 2018 midterm elections and beyond, fueling even more speculation he might be positioning himself for another run for office, according to a Politico report.
"All I can tell you is that the number of requests that Mitt has gotten in the last month to come to a district or to come to a state for a sitting senator — it's like he's a presidential candidate again, which I was surprised by," Spencer Zwick, a top political aide to House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis. "There are only so many people in the party that can headline these things."
With so many in the GOP calling on Romney's help, the former presidential candidate is restocking his own political cachet, potentially positioning himself for a run for Senate if Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, does not seek reelection in November 2018. Hatch is 83.
"My hope is that he takes an active role, certainly as we move toward 2018, because I think it's going to be a very important cycle for Republicans, and I think he still has a very unique voice and it's a voice that I do think is desperately needed in a lot of ways," Lanhee Chen, a former Romney policy adviser, told Politico.
Even political rival Joe Biden told Romney he should consider the Senate run in an appearance Friday night – leading to audience applause and merely a smile from Romney – according to Politico.
Romney, still holding close ties to the donor class, is immensely important to GOP hopes, whether he runs for Senate or not. Corry Bliss, a top strategist for a GOP super PAC, aims to raise and spend $100 million in the next election cycle.
"Having the support of Gov. Romney is a key to our success," Bliss told Politico.
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