--- title: Mitt Romney: Skepticism, Frustration Ahead of Possible 2016 Run description: Despite repeated denials last year that he would run again canonical: https://time.com/3670945/mitt-romney-gop-2016-presidential-bid/ author: Zeke Miller article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-01-16T02:36:28.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-13T19:43:06.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: Romney Faces Skepticism and Frustration as He Looks to 2016 og:description: Despite repeated denials last year that he would run again og:url: https://time.com/3670945/mitt-romney-gop-2016-presidential-bid/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7e0d8546caf55bad/69877a65428a9ef30bcc6a07/mitt-romney-republican.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Mitt Romney og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Romney Faces Skepticism and Frustration as He Looks to 2016 twitter:description: Despite repeated denials last year that he would run again twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7e0d8546caf55bad/69877a65428a9ef30bcc6a07/mitt-romney-republican.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Mitt Romney Faces Skepticism, Frustration as He Looks to 2016 by [Zeke J Miller / Coronado, Calif.](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke J Miller / Coronado, Calif. Updated: Dec 13, 2023 7:43 PM UTCPublished: Jan 16, 2015 2:36 AM UTC  Mitt Romney, the former Republican presidential nominee, addresses a crowd of supporters while introducing New Hampshire Senate candidate Scott Brown at a farm in Stratham, N.H. on July 2, 2014. Mitt Romney, the former Republican presidential nominee, addresses a crowd of supporters while introducing New Hampshire Senate candidate Scott Brown at a farm in Stratham, N.H. on July 2, 2014.Charles Krupa—AP by [Zeke J Miller / Coronado, Calif.](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke J Miller / Coronado, Calif. Updated: Dec 13, 2023 7:43 PM UTCPublished: Jan 16, 2015 2:36 AM UTC When former Mitt Romney steps across on the deck of the U.S.S. Midway on Friday evening, the former GOP presidential nominee who is considering a third bid for the White House will be greeted by many skeptical faces from his party’s leadership. Four years after the Republican establishment’s support propelled him to the nomination, many members of the Republican National Committee are telling him to step aside. “I just don’t believe it’s Gov. Romney’s turn,” said New York national committeeman Charles Joyce. “He’s missed the boat. We’d rather try something else.” A week after Romney allies and donors sent the strongest signal yet that he is exploring a third bid for the White House, Romney aides announced Thursday that Colin Reed, the campaign manager for former Sen. Scott Brown’s New Hampshire Senate race, was joining Romney’s team in a volunteer capacity. But at the GOP’s winter meeting, many in the Republican Party elite expressed frustration with the way their former nominee has conducted himself. Last year, Romney repeatedly ruled out running again, but has sent signals that he is seriously considering doing so, scrambling the equation for donors, operatives and supporters who previously supported him but interpreted his denials as a license to explore supporting other candidates. “Obviously, I think all of us feel like if he had been elected in 2012, the country would be in much better shape,” said John Ryder, the party’s general counsel and the committeeman from Tennessee. “He’s got to make a case as to why this time would be better than the last time, and how he can reclaim the loyalty of some of the folks who have started to drift off.” “\[Romney\] doesn’t clear the field for anyone,” he added. Henry Barbour, the committeeman from Mississippi and one of the authors of the party’s autopsy that was sharply critical of the previous Romney effort, said, “clearly getting past 2012 is going to be his challenge.” But Barbour added his previous candidacy was hardly disqualifying. “We want to nominate the person who’s going to win the White House, period. If that’s someone who has never run before, if that’s somebody who has been our nominee before, if that’s somebody from Mars, if they will advance our policy agenda and take back the White House, that’s who we want to have win the nomination.” ### Growing Up Romney: Mitt's Early World ![With 'Mitt,' 10, youngest of Romney children, \[George Romney\] inspects house at Bloomfield Hills which he and his wife designed.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf1f077da60f0b2f0/69877a6e0b72e3c5e16dd2ec/150116-mitt-romney-01.jpg?branch=production&width=1440&quality=75&auto=webp) Caption from LIFE. With 'Mitt,' 10, youngest of Romney children, \[George Romney\] inspects house at Bloomfield Hills which he and his wife designed. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  George Romney with his son, Mitt, 1958. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  George Romney with his son, Mitt, playing with electric trains, 1958. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  George Romney with his son, Mitt, on a frosty golf course, 1958. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  George Romney with his son, Mitt, on a frosty golf course, 1958. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. From airport to Milwaukee \[auto\] body plant Romney takes catnap in Rambler station wagon built-in bed, with briefcase as pillow. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Romney family: Mitt, wife Lenore, son Scott, 16, and daughter Jane, 19, at piano, join together in a hymn. 'The biggest sale I ever made,' Romney said, 'was convincing Lenore to marry me. During our courtship she was offered $50,000 by Paramount to sign a five-year movie contract." Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. On desk George Romney keeps prehistoric animals to remind him of favorite 'big-car' analogy. 'Some dinosaurs had a 70-foot wheelbase and huge fuel consumption. The principal factor in their extinction was the fact that they got so big they were unable to live.' Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  George and Lenore Romney, 1962 Francis Miller—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. After Sunday services the Romneys crowd onto a sofa in living room. Son Mitt and married daughters Jane and Lynn are at the rear. From left, grandchildren are Gregory (held by Lenore), Douglas, Susan, Brett and Jody. Another son, Scott, is in England with a mission group. Francis Miller—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  George Romney and grandchildren, 1962 Francis Miller—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  George Romney and grandchildren, 1962 Francis Miller—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. A Detroit Mormon leader of the church in Michigan area, Romney sits behind the pulpit with fellow dignitaries in church in Bloomfield Hills at Sunday services at which he officiates. Francis Miller—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  George Romney officiates during a Mormon service, Michigan, 1962. Francis Miller—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. At end of a long day on the new state constitution -- and after a quick change to pajamas -- Romney falls asleep on fold-back seat of his car as the chauffeur begins the trip back to Bloomfield Hills. Francis Miller—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Michigan governor George Romney on the golf course, 1963. Francis Miller—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Michigan governor George Romney and wife Lenore (right), November 1963. Francis Miller—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Lenore Romney, wife of Michigan governor George Romney, East Lansing, Mich., 1963. Francis Miller—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Michigan governor George Romney (center) and family, November 1963\. Mitt Romney is seated, on the left. Francis Miller—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Michigan governor George Romney (left) and family, November 1963. Francis Miller—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Michigan governor George Romney at home, 1963. Francis Miller—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Mitt Romney places a birthday cake before his mother, Lenore, in November 1963. Francis Miller—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Michigan governor George Romney (seated on couch at right) with family, November 1963\. Mitt Romney is seated at left. Francis Miller—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images Romney faces lingering frustration from some in his party that he spoiled an opportunity to defeat President Barack Obama. “When he went into that race, people thought there was a very good chance for Republicans given the state of the economy and it looked like it should have been the Republicans to lose, and he did,” said Maine party chairman Rick Bennett. “He needs to find a way to answer that.” “Governor Romney is a good man,” echoed South Carolina chairman Matt Moore. “But my question is, ‘how would this campaign be different than 2012″‘ Because if everything is the same, the result will be the same.” Republican leaders expressed doubts that Romney could reverse the public perception that his wealth has placed him out of touch with ordinary Americans, while worrying that lingering controversies over his suggestion that illegal immigrants “self-deport” and that 47% of Americans “believe that they are victims” would set the party back in its efforts to rebrand. Steve King, the committeeman from Wisconsin, said Romney’s candidacy could undermine Republican efforts to put a new face on the party. “We need freshness. If Mitt Romney wants to win he’s going to have to figure out how to be fresh,” he said. Romney supporters on the committee have been making the case that his name recognition and experience make him the ideal candidate to take on former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, adding that he has been vindicated on some foreign policy issues. But their behind the scenes efforts to convince RNC members to keep an open mind are falling on many deaf ears. “I think the party wants to see a new candidate,” said Pennsylvania chairman Rob Gleason. “The people here want to see someone new,” he added, of the RNC membership. “I think the whole country is looking for someone new.” One RNC member from the South said nominating Romney again would be tantamount to electing Clinton. “We may be saddled with that again,” the member said on the condition of anonymity, “but if we are, then we better be making provisions for Hillary.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3670945/mitt-romney-gop-2016-presidential-bid/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3670945/mitt-romney-gop-2016-presidential-bid/"},"headline":"Mitt Romney Faces Skepticism, Frustration as He Looks to 2016","datePublished":"2015-01-16T02:36:28.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-13T19:43:06.000Z","description":"“I think the party wants to see a new candidate,” said the party's Pennsylvania chairman","url":"https://time.com/3670945/mitt-romney-gop-2016-presidential-bid/","keywords":["2016 Election","2016 Election topic","Republican National Committee","Republican Party","mitt romney","2012 election"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7e0d8546caf55bad/69877a65428a9ef30bcc6a07/mitt-romney-republican.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Zeke J Miller / Coronado, Calif."}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7e0d8546caf55bad/69877a65428a9ef30bcc6a07/mitt-romney-republican.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Mitt Romney","caption":"Mitt Romney","creditText":"Charles Krupa—AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/2016-election/","name":"2016 Election"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3670945/mitt-romney-gop-2016-presidential-bid/","name":"Mitt Romney Faces Skepticism, Frustration as He Looks to 2016"}}]}] ```