Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is pushing Republican colleague Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, to run for another six-year term in 2024, Politico reported on Wednesday.
Romney, the first senator in history to vote to remove from office a president of the same party when he did so against Donald Trump, also has participated in a number of bipartisan congressional deals that have upset conservatives.
Romney's decision on whether to seek reelection will be a much clearer signal about the state of the GOP. As an influential Senate centrist, he's considering how effective he might be if he returns for another term, according to Politico.
McConnell, no fan of Trump, has stated that he is "absolutely" willing to back Romney, saying that "people respect his intelligence, his assessment of the era we find ourselves in. And it’s important for the Republican Party and the country that he runs again."
McConnell hopes to demonstrate with a victorious Romney reelection that the appeal of the GOP goes beyond Trump, and the minority leader is willing to put money behind it, Politico reported.
For his part, Romney has stated that he has started to do all that is necessary to prepare for reelection, "but I haven’t made a decision, finally [on whether or not to run]. And probably won’t do that anytime in the immediate future."
Another prominent Romney backer is incoming National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Steve Daines, R-Mont. Daines is planning to meet Romney soon to talk about the Utah senator's plans.
However, if Romney does decide to run for reelection, he knows very well that he can’t expect unified backing from the Senate Republican conference.