(From the diaries – promoted by DavidNYC)
The L.A. Times blog has the story. Most blogs focused on the line that Mitt Romney may re-enter the race, but check this out: Mitt Romney’s son Josh may run for Congress!
After a full year of campaigning for his father around the country, Josh Romney, who is the only Romney clan member to reside in Utah, is reported to be considering a race for the House of Representatives as a Republican representing Utah’s 2nd Congressional District, a seat currently held by Democrat Jim Matheson.
In an interview with the Deseret Morning News to be published in Monday’s editions, the younger Romney acknowledges that he is considering the House race. “I’m pretty young,” he says, “but I’ve had good experience on the campaign trail.” He campaigned for his father all year and invested the summer visiting each of Iowa’s 99 counties.
So what do you guys think?
And do we think he’d provide a credible challenge?
This is Utah and it is a Democratic seat.
The Romney’s are very, very popular in Utah. The only way to save this very Republican seat in this case would be to make sure Barack Obama wins Texas on March 4th. Hillary Clinton would kill us in this district.
Nancy Skinner candidate for Michigan’s 9 dis. (Knollenberg-R)has withdraw from the race for reasons unknown.
…Wikipedia says that Jim Matheson won three of his four terms by huge, crushing margins, and the fourth was 2002 (the best Republican year since ’94).
A Romney kid might offer a high-profile (I won’t say “credible”; that’s a joke) challenge with the added benefit of being self-funding, but Matheson would still be favored.
Right around now, Romney is to Utah Mormons as Gore is to environmentalist Democrats. He’s the Wonderful Guy who Should Have Won, and Deserved Better Than He Got.
That’s a very dangerous dynamic. That turns a race from ordinary politics into a more mythical type contest.
Plus he’s one of the only challengers imaginable with instant 100% name rec.
I’d say it’s bad news. The only upside is that kid is like 28? Hopefully he’s stupid also and will make some stupid rhetorical mistake, a la Aaron Schock. Given that he’s had front-row seats to a presidential contest for the last three years though, I’m not banking on it.
Most of us here rejoice that this blog is free of candidate diaries.
Then you come put your vitally original insights into the discussion and we see what we’ve been missing elsewhere. Thanks for nothing.
How I wish we had TUs here at SSP so that I could Hide your Off Topic remark.
You’re causing a serious problem for me. Fortunately, it has a simple solution. You see, you’ve been warned repeatedly to knock off your ceaseless and fact-free bashing of Hillary Clinton. You even signalled your assent that you would stop.
But now, you’ve gone right back to it. So either I let you make me look like a weak and impotent fool who can’t manage his own website, or I come down on you like a ton of bricks.
That choice is easy for me to make, and like I said, the solution is simple. You can apologize to me for breaking your promise that you’d cut out your crap, and you can apologize to the site for your uncalled for and non-reality-based attacks on Clinton. Or you can carry on elsewhere.
The decision is yours.
for reasons already stated, but I think Matheson can make a good argument. First, Romney (presumably) hasn’t thought through most of the major issues we face too deeply. So even if he doesn’t make a major gaffe on the trail (which he’s more likely to do than an experienced candidate), Matheson can still use his own knowledge to suggest that Romney doesn’t know what he’s doing.
Second, Matheson has experience in Congress, and I don’t know what Josh Romney has experience doing at all. He certainly doesn’t know how to be an effective member of Congress; he didn’t even grow up with a parent as a legislator like most political children. Matheson could tout his work on some recent bills or (sigh) funding important projects for Utahns, and hopefully Romney won’t have much of a counterpunch.
I do feel pretty good. The Matheson name is strong in Utah too. Romney would be tough but he wouldn’t have a free ride.
Also, if he runs, I think it’s on us to come up with a really condescending nickname that’ll make everyone stop taking him seriously. Any ideas?
You see, the mormons are pissed off that the GOP base absolutely rejected Mitt Romney. The reason for this should be clear to anyone with a brain: because he is a mormon.
The presence of his son in a campaign in UT will only remind those “Utahns” that there is a massive amount of prejudice and intolerance for them right within the party they like to support so much. There are already groups of Utahns flocking to Obama.
So, what appears to be a curse may end up being a blessing.
I think you’re right about Mormons in Utah feeling Romney got the shaft. But, I don’t see how this plays to our favor. I suspect they’ll turn out in droves to support the son.
Who knows how he’ll be as a candidate, but the name and money alone make me fear he’s the GOP’s best bet.
Isn’t Utah expected to gain a seat in redistricting? If so, young Joshh Romney may want to wait a few more years until an open seat becomes available.
I thought that all five of ex-governor Romney’s brawny lads were going to enlist and volunteer for service in Iraq, just as soon as their rich father no longer needed them as AdC’s for his Presidential campaign!?!?!?
They… they didn’t mislead us, did they???
Matheson is a good Representative for his district — and the fact that he continues to win in such overwhelmingly Republican territory is real testament to his political skills and strong presence in the district.
But he has also benefited from real weakness on the Republican side — he first won the seat when the crazed Republican incumbent (Merrill Cook) was ousted in a primary. Since then, the Republicans have had a number of extremely contentious and divisive nomination contests, and general election candidates who were deeply flawed.
I would worry greatly about a Josh Romney candidacy — the strength of the family name, the Republican strength in the district, the coattails in a presidential year in heavily Republican Utah, the prospect of a young active challenger who has developed campaign skills, and (presumably) as much money as he would need — all of these factors would make him a most formidable challenger. It would probably be Matheson toughest race since 2002.
Two quick comments. First, what makes us think that following Mitt around would teach Mitten not to make stupid foot-in-mouth comments? Who could ever seriously say “Who Let the Dogs Out?” in a black neighborhood and follow it up by touching a little girl’s hair ornament and say “Oh, you have some bling bling”? I mean who is that stupid? If that’s who he was watching for a year, count on it. He’ll screw up.
Also, I was gonna suggest a great diminutive for him, but Li’l Mitt and Mitten are about all I’ve got so far.