Mitt Romney isn’t trying to steal the Republican presidential nomination from the four remaining candidates. He has made that much clear.
But the 2012 GOP nominee is nevertheless leaving the door open – just a crack – to the possibility of being drafted by his party at a contested convention in July.
“I don’t think anyone in our party should say, ‘Oh no, even if the people in the party wanted me to be the president, I would say no to it,’ ” Romney said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “No one’s going to say that.”
It’s a far-fetched scenario, to be sure, but it goes something like this: If through the primary process Republican front-runner Donald Trump fails to collect the majority of delegates needed to secure the nomination, the result would be a contested convention. And if, when delegates are free to vote as they please, none of the candidates is able to secure a majority, it is possible that an off-the-board name such as Romney’s could be entered for consideration.
The former Massachusetts governor said he is confident such a scenario won’t come to pass.
“I can guarantee you this: One of the people running for president – one of the four – is going to be the Republican Party nominee,” he added. “Three of the four are people I would endorse. But I’m not running, and I’m not going to be running.”
(c) 2016, The Washington Post ยท Callum Borchers
