Three weeks to the day since he informed a group of Republican financiers in New York that he was serious about a third presidential bid, Romney on Friday finally pulled the plug on his long and sometimes agonizing political career, telling supporters that he would not mount a third bid for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016.
READ: Mitt Romney will not run in 2016
“He decided he could be the nominee,” said Tagg Romney, the oldest of Romney’s five sons. “The fear was that in order to get there it was going to be so hard fought that he could not emerge from a position of strength.” The family, he explained, “all said we would support him, although none of us was looking forward to the process. But no one said we won’t go through this.”
Romney’s decision to forgo a run, made over the weekend in consultation with his family, came on the heels of what associates described as “frank” and “clinical” strategy session with his closest advisers in Boston last Friday at the offices of Solamere Capital, the financial firm run by Tagg Romney and Spencer Zwick, Romney’s top fundraiser. Romney’s announcement also came two days after David Kochel, one of Romney’s closest confidantes since his days as Massachusetts governor, announced that he would join the likely campaign of Jeb Bush, Romney’s top rival for support in the Republican establishment.
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Bush’s swift behind-the-scenes maneuvering, which his advisers have described as a “shock and awe” strategy, rattled Romney once he caught wind of it in early January. The Bush activity prompted Romney to announce his interest in the race three weeks ago and “freeze” donors in place as he thought through the practicalities of another campaign.
But it became clear that many of his former financial supporters and staffers were not only moving to Bush, but also other candidates vying for mainstream Republican support, including New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.
Romney’s decision to pull back on a campaign gives renewed life to all of them, said James McCray, a Republican fundraiser.
“With Romney out, the field is back open and it emboldens other candidates who are trying to be the anti-Jeb,” he said. “Who is going to be the alternative to Jeb Bush and Rand Paul on the right?”
