A Quinnipiac University poll released last Wednesday showed 45% of voters now believe the country would have been better off it Mitt Romney had won the 2012 election. And now it looks like at least some in the Republican Party believe we could be seeing a President Romney in 2016.
During an appearance on MSNBC’s Hardball on Monday, conservative Congressman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) told Chris Matthews he believes Romney will run – and win – in 2016.
“I think he actually is gonna run for president,” Chaffetz said. “He probably doesn’t want me to say that.”
“A hundred times he says he’s not, but Mitt Romney has always accomplished what he’s set out to do,” he continued. “I think he’s proven right on a lot of stuff. I happen to be in the camp that thinks he’s actually going to run, and I think he will be the next president of the United States.”
On radio this morning, Glenn reacted to Chaffetz’s assertion and took a broader look at the 2016 Republican candidate pool.
“Here's where I think he's right,” Glenn said of Chaffetz. “Mitt has strangely not ridden off in the sunset. And, you know, he said he wants to be one of the founders or the elder statesman for the Republican Party. And who do they have? I think the press even knows Jeb Bush is just a non-starter. Chris Christie is a non-starter.”
Interestingly, both Christie and Bush perform well in the polls despite their pedigree and negative media attention. While Glenn dismisses Christie’s chances, he did admit someone like Bush or Romney appeals to the establishment.
“The press and the establishment wants somebody like Mitt Romney or Jeb Bush, and so they will run those guys again. And so I really think that Mitt Romney would run again,” Glenn said. “I think he's a really honest, genuine, decent man who I disagree with. But I disagree with a lot of politicians on a lot of things. But if your character is good and I disagree with everybody in the room, I'll go with the guy with character. Mitt Romney, I believe, has good character. Beyond that, I think he's wrong on a lot of things.”
Other Republican names tossed around include Senators Rand Paul (R-KY), Ted Cruz (R-TX), and Marco Rubio (R-FL), former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), Wisconsin Governor Paul Walker, and Texas Governor Rick Perry. Glenn believes both Walker and Perry could have a real chance.
“I think Scott Walker has a good chance. He's got a really great record,” Glenn said. “Let's go to Rick Perry for a second… If Rick Perry is smart and continues to play his cards right and actually do something – find some ways to get control of our border – Rick Perry will have a really good shot at coming out of that 3% area.”
Front page image courtesy of the AP