Financial executives remember the attacks in 2012 all too well and, faced with the possibility of another Romney campaign, are wary of another round of negative attention.
“His formal entry will shine brighter light on some of the issues in the industry that people in the industry would rather not have a bright light on,” said Jonathan Foster, managing director of the New York-based private equity firm Current Capital.
Romney has pledged to connect more effectively with Americans on economic issues should he pursue another campaign. He traveled to Mississippi this week to talk about poverty and the middle class.
READ: Romney talks minority outreach
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Former Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana — now a senior executive at Apollo Global Management, an international private equity firm headquartered in New York — said many of his colleagues wished Romney had been “more proactive” in denouncing the onslaught.
“Surprisingly, they were a bit flatfooted in terms of addressing his business record,” Bayh said.
If Romney does throw his hat in the 2016 ring, Bayh offered this advice: “Be prepared this time to define yourself and not just accept these attacks without an effective response.”
