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November Surprises

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Trial Balloon · Ep. 192: November Surprises

Romney Doesn’t See GOP Breaking with Trump

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Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) told UtahPolicy.com that he doesn’t know when or how the partial government shutdown will end, and he’s not sure what will break the budget impasse that is now more than 30 days old.

Said Romney: “I think it’s extremely unlikely that Republicans would say they’re not going to follow the president’s lead on this now. I think Republicans are going to say the president is negotiating on their behalf. I just don’t see very many Republicans that would be willing to depart from the leadership of the White House.”

Mitt Romney Gets Chilly Reception from GOP Senators

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Politico: “When Romney heads into his first Republican Conference meeting later this week, he might face an awkward reception from many of his fellow Republican senators. Some are scratching their heads about why Romney ripped Trump in a Washington Post op-ed; others are angry about reopening an intraparty divide. And it could color how Senate Republicans view Romney over the long term, raising questions about his effectiveness in the GOP conference.”

Perdue Slams Romney for Criticizing Trump

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Sen. David Perdue (R-GA) accused Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) in the Washington Post of “character assassination of the president” and that he “put self-interest ahead of the larger national interest: conservative Republican governance.”

“The op-ed brought to mind 2012, when many Republicans chose to divide the party by continually bashing each other. Romney eventually discovered that many discouraged GOP voters decided to stay home on Election Day.”

“Like others who have run for president and failed, Romney has taken a stance that smacks of jealousy and resentment. It does nothing but serve the radical liberal left and further divides conservatives.”

Romney Is Already Raising Big Money

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Politico: “Romney… will be no ordinary freshman senator. He is expected to use his national profile and formidable fundraising network to collect chits and help elect Republicans across the country. Believe in America PAC and Team Mitt, a Romney-backed joint fundraising committee, were set up immediately after the Nov. 6 midterm election. Both vehicles can be used to send donations to GOP candidates.”

“Romney has made little secret that he intends to use his outsize profile as senator. Prior to the election, he backed an array of Republican candidates in races up and down the ballot.”

Exchange of the Day

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Mitt Romney was interviewed by Kasie Hunt on MSNBC:

HUNT:  Will you vote for President Trump in 2020?  You said you think he’s going to get re-elected.

ROMNEY:  It – it’s too early to say who I will support.  Yes, I did say I think he’ll get reelected.  That’s not an endorsement.  I mean I – I also think that Gavin Newsome will get elected in California.  That’s not something I want to see, that’s just something that’s probably going to happen.

HUNT:  Do you want somebody to run against him? Against President Trump?

ROMNEY:  It’s not a question of want.  There will be people who decide, I presume, to get in a Republican primary.  I think the president’s support among Republicans – what is it now?  Ninety percent approval?  It suggests he will be able to become the nominee relatively easily.  And I think the Democrats, if any indication comes from New York last night, I think the Democrats are going to go further left. They’re likely to nominate someone further from the mainstream of American thought and in a setting like that, I think the president gets re-elected.

HUNT:  But you’re not yet willing to say that you’ll vote for him?

ROMNEY:  I’m not willing to say who I’m going to support at this stage.  That’s a little early for that, but the time will come.

Romney Plans to Be Major Player in the Senate

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“Mitt Romney is mapping out plans to become a major player in the Senate — positioning himself to be the spokesman of a listless Republican Party establishment that’s been steamrolled by President Trump,” Politico reports.

“The failed presidential candidate turned Utah Senate hopeful has made it clear to senior party officials that he intends to make a splash with his all-but-certain arrival on Capitol Hill next year… He’s conveyed a desire to be a loud voice on fiscal issues, railing against the ballooning federal deficit and how Congress approves last-minute spending bills. He’s expressed an interest in joining the foreign affairs committee, saying he wants to speak out on the importance of the country’s role abroad and the threat posed by Russia.”

“And his top aides have broached the prospect that Romney could tap into the expansive national fundraising network that he established during his 2012 presidential bid to bankroll GOP candidates.”

Romney Predicts Trump Will Be Re-Elected

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Utah U.S. Senate candidate Mitt Romney (R) “bluntly predicted” that President Trump would win reelection in 2020, Politico reports.

“Addressing a group of major GOP donors, Romney — who bitterly collided with Trump during the 2016 campaign and implored his party to nominate someone else — also said Trump would easily capture the Republican Party’s 2020 nomination. He said Trump’s political fortunes would be bolstered by a pair of factors: an improving economy and the likelihood that Democrats would choose an outside-the-mainstream candidate.”

Said Romney: “I think President Trump will be re-nominated by my party easily, and I think he’ll be reelected solidly.”

Romney Sides with Trump on Tariffs

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U.S. Senate candidate Mitt Romney (R) sees President Trump’s proposed $100 billion in new tariffs on China as a shot across the bow but doesn’t think it would lead to trade war, the Deseret News reports.

Said Romney: “I think the president is leading with some policies that will wake up our friends in China and they’ll recognize that business as usual is going to have to change. China over the years has taken advantage of the attitude in America, which is we haven’t watched very closely and they’ve been cheating.”

Romney Would Deport Dreamers

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Utah U.S. Senate candidate Mitt Romney (R) said he’s more conservative on certain issues than President Trump, the Provo Daily Herald reports.

Said Romney: “For instance, I’m a deficit hawk. That makes me more conservative than a lot of Republicans and a lot of Democrats. I’m also more of a hawk on immigration than even the president. My view was these DACA kids shouldn’t all be allowed to stay in the country legally.”

Flake Says Romney Could Create New ‘Power Center’

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Retiring Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) told Roll Call that the Senate needs someone like Mitt Romney to be an “independent voice.”

Said Flake: “We need Mitt Romney in the Senate. We need an independent voice, somebody who will enter the Senate chamber with immediate gravitas and someone who can work across the aisle, and actually, I think, create a whole new power center in the Senate. I think that’s desperately needed.”

Russian Trolls Tried to Torpedo Romney as Top Diplomat

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“Weeks after Donald Trump was elected president, Russia-backed online ‘trolls’ flooded social media to try to block Mitt Romney from securing a top job in the incoming administration,” a Wall Street Journal analysis shows.

“The operatives called the 2012 GOP presidential nominee, then a contender for secretary of state, a ‘two headed snake’ and a ‘globalist puppet,’ promoted a rally outside Trump Tower and spread a petition to block Mr. Romney’s appointment to the top diplomatic job, according to a review of now-deleted social-media posts.”

Romney Says He’s Not a Fan of Putin Either

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Mitt Romney told KSL-TV that he can’t comment on a recent report that suggested the Kremlin had blocked him from becoming Secretary of State.

Said Romney: “I don’t know what the president’s process was in determining his secretary of state, or why he chose to ask me to come in, or decided not to have me as his secretary of state. So, I really can’t comment on the Steele dossier in that regard.”

He added: “I do believe it’s pretty clear that I’m not a fan of Vladimir Putin’s and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s not a fan of mine either.”

Why Trump Endorsed Romney

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Jonathan Swan: “He could either endorse Romney, stay silent, or oppose the man he likes to say ‘choked like a dog’ in the 2012 election. Either of the latter two options would have resulted in cable news blaring “Utah rejects Trump” headlines after an eventual Romney win. Now Trump can claim credit for Romney’s victory, and be on the side of a winner.”

Said a GOP source: “This was totally predictable.  The President who (usually) has good political instincts got ahead of any stories (which press is dying to write) about a Romney victory (primary) being a repudiation of Trump, by endorsing him so now Trump can take credit for win and say it’s because he endorsed!”

A new UtahPolicy.com poll finds Romney leading likely challenger Jenny Wilson 60% to 14%.

McConnell Urges Trump to Get Behind Romney

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Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) told the New York Times that President Trump “should rally behind the Senate candidacy of Mitt Romney despite his blistering criticism in 2016, arguing that Mr. Romney’s potent bid was an illustration of the Republican Party’s improving fortunes entering a challenging midterm campaign.”

Said McConnell: “I can’t imagine that he’s not. We don’t want to lose the seat, and this looks like a pretty formidable candidate.”

Utah GOP Chairman Slams Mitt Romney

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Utah Republican Party chairman Rob Anderson blasted Mitt Romney’s anticipated Senate run in an interview with the Salt Lake Tribune, hitting him for “essentially doing what Hillary Clinton did in New York” — campaigning in a state he hasn’t spent much time in.

Said Anderson: “I think he’s keeping out candidates that I think would be a better fit for Utah because, let’s face it, Mitt Romney doesn’t live here, his kids weren’t born here, he doesn’t shop here.”

Romney Told Utah Governor He’s Running

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The New York Times reports Mitt Romney sent word to Utah Gary Herbert (R) about the state’s open Senate seat in November’s elections: “I’m running.”

“His yet-to-be-declared candidacy is already highlighting the enduring fractures over President Trump in this heavily Mormon state, where voters have long been uneasy with Mr. Trump’s conduct. At issue is whether Mr. Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee, should be an overt check on the president, and even use a Senate platform to mount his own White House comeback, or act as an ally and retain access to Mr. Trump the way Mr. Hatch has done.”

Taegan Goddard

Taegan Goddard

Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.

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