Keller @ Large: Mitt Romney Announces Candidacy For Utah Senate Seat
BOSTON (CBS) - He ran for the U.S. Senate and lost here in Massachusetts, ran for governor and won, and twice failed to win the presidency. Now, Mitt Romney is at it again, announcing his candidacy for the Utah Senate seat being vacated by Orrin Hatch.
"I have decided to run for US Senate because I believe I can help bring Utah's values and Utah's lessons to Washington," Romney said in his campaign kickoff video.
Those who know Romney best, always understood that he was intent on succeeding where his late father, George, another former governor who unsuccessfully ran for president, failed. The campaign video contains multiple hints that this Senate bid could wind up positioning Romney to make yet another run for the White House.
"Utah has a lot to teach the politicians in Washington. Utah has balanced its budgets, Washington is buried in debt," he said.
If that doesn't strike you as a shot at President Trump and the GOP leadership, how about this, "Utah welcomes legal immigrants from around the world, Washington sends immigrants a message of exclusion, and on Utah's Capitol Hill, people treat one another with respect."
If this sounds familiar, it's because Romney employed similar comparisons with Massachusetts when he first ran for president, touting his work while governor here as proof of his ability to bridge the partisan divide.
With Trump critics like Bob Corker and Jeff Flake leaving the Senate, Romney is on track to become its leading Republican Trump scold.
"Utah is admired not only for its beauty, but also for the character of its people," he said in the video. However, Romney doesn't have to compare his personal character with that of the president, others will do that for him.
And if the GOP's Trump-era standing is proven precarious by the fall election results, guess who's standing by, tanned, rested and ready?
"Given all that America faces, we feel that this is the right time to serve our state and our country," Romney explained.
He is considered a slam-dunk to win that Senate seat this fall. And make no mistake, if he's a GOP success story on a night when the party overall takes a beating, the 2020 presidential speculation will instantly come to a boil.
