Skip to main content
Tags: Romney | Anti-Trump | Third-Party | Challenge | Recruits

Romney Ends Recruiting for Third-Party Candidate to Challenge Trump

Romney Ends Recruiting for Third-Party Candidate to Challenge Trump
(Getty Images)

By    |   Wednesday, 18 May 2016 02:55 PM EDT

Mitt Romney is no longer trying to recruit a third-party candidate to challenge Republican presumptive presidential nominee Donald Trump, Yahoo News reports.

The news site, quoting an unnamed source, reports Wednesday the former Massachusetts governor and 2012 GOP nominee remains "motivated to help the 'stop Trump' cause," but is not calling or emailing any people still considering a run.

A few potential candidates remain, but none are currently "live prospects," Yahoo news reports, quoting the source.

"He thinks someone should run. That's his role. That's the beginning and end of it," an unnamed Romney adviser tells the site. "Is he organizing it? No. But he has talked to people who have thought about it."

According to Yahoo News, the effort to persuade Romney himself to launch a bid "never went anywhere seriously this year for the same reasons others do not want to run: Any independent candidate would almost certainly be blamed for electing [Hillary] Clinton."

"Those close to Romney did not want to be responsible for laying that burden on his shoulders," Yahoo News reports.

According to the news site, Romney's high-profile speech in March condemning Trump as "a phony" and "a fraud" who was "playing the American public for suckers" was prompted, in part at least, by the real estate billionaire's February interview with CNN in which he claimed he didn't know who white supremacist David Duke was and declined to reject political support from him and the Ku Klux Klan.

© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.

Sign up for Newsmax’s Daily Newsletter

Receive breaking news and original analysis - sent right to your inbox.

(Optional for Local News)
Privacy: We never share your email address.

Politics
Mitt Romney is no longer trying to recruit a third-party candidate to challenge Republican presumptive presidential nominee Donald Trump, Yahoo News reports.
Romney, Anti-Trump, Third-Party, Challenge, Recruits
243
2016-55-18
Wednesday, 18 May 2016 02:55 PM
Newsmax Media, Inc.
Join the Newsmax Community
Read and Post Comments
Please review Community Guidelines before posting a comment.
 

Interest-Based Advertising | Do not sell or share my personal information

Newsmax, Moneynews, Newsmax Health, and Independent. American. are registered trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc. Newsmax TV, and Newsmax World are trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc.

NEWSMAX.COM
America's News Page
© 2025 Newsmax Media, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Download the Newsmax App
NEWSMAX.COM
America's News Page
© 2025 Newsmax Media, Inc.
All Rights Reserved