GOP governors see Mitt Romney as one of their own, but hesitate to endorse him
Going into Tuesday鈥檚 critical primary elections in Arizona and Michigan, Mitt Romney is getting help from Republican governors.
On Sunday, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer was the latest to endorse Romney, joining Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Virginia 骋辞惫.听Bob McDonnell, Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, and Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman.
"I think he's the man that can carry the day," Gov. Brewer said on NBC's "Meet The Press" Sunday. 鈥淢itt is by far the person that can go in and win."
Still, just eight of the 29 Republican governors have endorsed Romney, and while he鈥檚 one of their own 鈥� a former state chief executive, even though he plays down his time as the then-moderate governor of liberal Massachusetts 鈥� there are good reasons to hold back.
If their state hasn鈥檛 yet held its primary election or caucuses, they might not want to get out ahead of their own electorate.
More serious for their party鈥檚 future, many of them are worried about the GOP鈥檚 divisive nominating campaign. And like a lot of Republican insiders and activists, they yearn for a candidate without Romney鈥檚 faults 鈥� his rich-guy persona, his odd rhetorical meanderings, and the shop-worn image of one who鈥檚 been running for the White House for six years.
"I think some people look at him as a CEO," Gov. McDonnell told reporters at the National Governors Association meeting in Washington, according to the Los Angeles Times. "People right now want to have somebody that truly just feels their pain and empathizes with what they're going through in this horrible, horrible economy."
Of his enormous personal wealth 鈥� his foreign investment accounts, his initial reluctance to reveal his tax returns, his wife鈥檚 鈥渃ouple of Cadillacs鈥� 鈥� Romney says simply, 鈥淭hat鈥檚 just the way it is.鈥�
鈥淚f people think there鈥檚 something wrong with being successful in America, then they better vote for the other guy because I鈥檝e been extraordinarily successful and I want to use that success and that know-how to help the American people,鈥� he said on Fox News Sunday.
Former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore notes the difference between now and 2000, when Republican governors played a key role for George W. Bush, a fellow governor.
鈥淩epublican governors at that time were very much playing a major, muscular role in the delivery of their states to the nominee,鈥� Gilmore, who is backing Romney this year, told Politico. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 see as much of that now鈥�. They鈥檙e trying to either pick the winner or make the winner, and if they鈥檙e not doing it, it鈥檚 because the environment is too uncertain.鈥�
鈥淭hey are cautiously tip-toeing around the matter that the rest of the party is consumed with,鈥� writes Politico鈥檚 James Hohmann. 鈥淔or an influential group that casts such a big shadow over the party, the governors have been remarkably reticent to play a role in picking a nominee.鈥�
Not all of the fence-sitting Republican governors are waiting to eventually back their party鈥檚 nominee among the remaining contestants, Romney, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, and Ron Paul.
Maine Gov. Paul LePage longs for a convention floor fight from which a new GOP champion goes forth to do battle with Barack Obama.
"The candidates in this primary have beat themselves up so badly it would be nice to have a fresh face that we all could say, Okay. The country deserves better than having people stand up and keep criticizing each other,鈥� he said Saturday at the governors association meeting in Washington. "I would love to see a good old-fashioned convention and a dark horse come out and do it in the fall.鈥�
Is that at all possible? Or could somebody else 鈥� say, an uncommitted governor or former governor like Indiana鈥檚 Mitch Daniels or Florida鈥檚 Jeb Bush 鈥� jump in before that?
鈥淭here are 22 contests where the filing deadlines to get on the ballot in states are still open,鈥� notes Bob Schieffer, host of CBS鈥檚 Face the Nation. 鈥淭hose states don't provide enough delegates for a late starter to get the nomination, BUT a late comer who got a big part of the delegates could probably stop any of the current candidates from wrapping up the nomination before the Republican convention.鈥�
