A retired four-star general could land on November's presidential ballot if one group of conservatives has its way.
Gen. James Mattis, who retired in 2013 after a 44-year career with the Marines, has been the subject of a movement with roots among billionaire conservatives who do not want to see GOP front-runner Donald Trump or Texas Sen. Ted Cruz win the presidency.
According to
The Daily Beast, the movement seems to be picking up steam as a Plan B, should Trump be nominated by the GOP in Cleveland, conservatives would then swing behind Mattis and press him to run as a third-party candidate.
The 65-year-old general received a package that contained six documents from roughly a dozen wealthy donors that mapped out a battle plan for him to win the presidential election.
Mattis took control of U.S. Central Command in August 2011 and served in that role until his retirement. He's known as the "Warrior Monk," and speculation has been swirling since the 2012 election of his potential to be president.
"Haven't seen the reports and I'm quite sure it's just idle talk," Mattis told
The Daily Caller last month.
Mattis ruffled feathers in the White House because of his strong opinions. According to a
Washington Post story last year, he was an outspoken critic of the Obama administration's policy with Iran and repeatedly called for a military response to the nation's aggression.
Mattis' opinions on Iran, according to the Post, were the reason why his time at Central Command lasted less than two years.
This summer's Republican National Convention will have to be contested in order for Mattis to land on the presidential ballot. Trump leads Cruz in the delegate vote, but there has been talk about delegates changing their mind and
naming Cruz or perhaps someone else as the nominee.