GOP kingmaker leans toward Mitt Romney

(Politico).Fred Malek, a heavyweight Republican fundraiser and kingmaker, has singled out former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney as the GOP’s leading contender in the early stages of the 2012 Republican presidential derby.

In a largely unnoticed post to his blog late last week, Malek, a wealthy businessman who served as national finance co-chair of John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign, ranked Romney No. 1 on a list of influential Republicans “who might both lead our party back and who might be our nominee in 2012.”

Malek blogged that Romney has “the established organization, fundraising network, time, and talent to get the nomination this time” and predicted he could “be in the best position when the serious campaigning begins in early 2011.”

Though Malek conceded Romney “does retain an image problem with some Republicans, who are not sold on his conservative credentials or upset with him for changing his emphasis of issues from his time as governor to presidential candidate,” he called Romney “self-aware and very smart.”