(Politico).Mitt Romney says publicly he’s not considering another presidential campaign, most recently on Sunday during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” But many of his loyalists expect one and remain at the ready for 2012.
When dozens of former Romney aides and advisers convened on the terrace of Charlie Spies’ fashionable Penn Quarter loft earlier this year on a warm February night, the purpose was ostensibly to help raise money for the Virginia state House race of Romney strategist Barbara Comstock.
But Spies, formerly the Romney campaign’s CFO, wasn’t just hosting a $100 per-head fundraiser. He was also staging a Romney political family reunion, as advertised by his email invitation subject line, “The Romney gang back together,” and the special $50 cut-rate fee for former campaign staffers meant to draw some of the junior aides.
The buzz that night was unmistakable among the 80 or so former Romney operatives present. “He was tanned, rested and ready,” said one former campaign aide of his old boss.
For the Romney team, it’s not too much of a stretch to say that the campaign never really ended,In addition to the full-time employees the former Massachusetts governor has at his Boston-based Free & Strong America PAC, the early primary states and Washington are filled with former staffers and supporters who are in regular contact with one another.
Whenever Romney has a major TV appearance or pens an opinion piece, a PAC staffer, Will Ritter, circulates the news to an e-mail list of the former governor’s extended political family.
The Washington-based alumni have a regular monthly luncheon, are working on another reunion-like event around a 2009 candidate later this year and always make sure their former candidate is briefed on the latest political doings.
When Romney does a high-profile Sunday show like he did yesterday, for example, that means that former communications aides such as Matt Rhoades and Kevin Madden will join PAC spokesman and longtime adviser Eric Fehrnstrom to help prepare their old boss, either in person or over the phone. When he’s delivering a speech, as he did earlier this month on national security, other former campaign officials such as media consultants Russ Schriefer and Stuart Stevens are brought in.
And when the former governor is in Washington for reasons other than a public appearance, an even broader extended network of advisers is often alerted, including such figures as longtime lobbyist and GOP strategist Ron Kaufman.
Romney enjoys an equally strong following in many of the early primary states.
“I’m going be a Mitt guy until he tells me he’s not running for president,” said Jim Merrill, who ran Romney’s New Hampshire primary campaign and said he still gets excited emails from local activists every time the former governor is on TV.
The ongoing coordination and alliances serve as perhaps the best reminder that, unlike any of his potential rivals, Romney has a turn-key political apparatus in place and ready for deployment should he decide to run again.
"Having run before for president puts you in a better place to run to run again,” said Terry Nelson, a top GOP strategist and for a time John McCain’s 2008 campaign manager. "He doesn’t have to build an infrastructure or recruit a a national fundraising team.”
GOP observers say that Romney’s stock is rising for two other important reasons –the political climate and his own deft moves since losing the nomination.
After the national security-dominated Bush years, the recession has brought the importance of economic issues into sharp focus, the issue matrix now favors Romney’s background as a turnaround specialist.
It’s not just the economy in general where Romney finds himself working from a position of strength, but more specifically on issues like health care and the auto industry where Romney can voice informed opposition to President Obama in a way few others in his party are equipped to.
And while other potential 2012 contenders in the party are falling by the wayside because of adultery, Romney loyalists say the father of five’s straight arrow ways suddenly look even more appealing.
“We know everything about the guy,” said one former Romney campaign official. “The good, the bad and the ugly. And it ain’t that ugly.”
At a time when Republicans are seeking the right balance in taking on the popular president, Romney’s approach is effective, Gillespie said,“Part of being a leader in the party is showing people how to talk about these issues, how to effectively challenge the other side,” he said.
“He’s obviously the frontrunner,” said Mark Salter, a former top aide to John McCain who launched some tough attacks on Romney during the primary.
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