WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah — Mitt Romney on Saturday criticized his party’s record on healthcare and spending and vowed to lead a coalition to repeal Obamacare and block bloated appropriations bills if elected to the U.S. Senate in November.
The one-time Republican presidential nominee, 71, is expected to cruise to the GOP nomination and victory in the general election.
During three hours of grilling by grassroots conservatives gathered for a Utah GOP convention — reminiscent of a town hall meetings in Iowa or New Hampshire, Romney promised to use his unique stature and vast connections in Washington to accomplish an ambitious agenda that has eluded many an aspiring Republican, President Trump included.
“Here’s the difference between me and a lot of other people that are thinking about running: And that is, I know how to get a group of people together, I’ve campaign with some 40 different Republican Senators — I’ve campaigned for them, with them,” Romney told one delegate. “I can get a group of them together to stand together to fight against the excessive spending that we’re seeing in Washington.”
“I can also get Obamacare repealed,” Romney added.
Romney wasn’t guaranteed to emerge from the state party convention with enough delegate votes to bypass the regular June primary and proceed straight to the midterm ballot. Though a minority of Republican voters in Utah, this is not a friendly crowd for a politician like Romney, with his close ties to the party establishment.
But a loss won’t materially impact the former Massachusetts governor’s march to the Republican nomination for Senate and an easy win in the general election in this overwhelmingly Republican state.
For Romney, the one-day nomination convention near Salt Lake City was an opportunity for the candidate to deepen his ties to the active GOP grassroots in the state and assure Republicans that his improbable Senate bid isn’t a backdoor attempt to recover lost political glory. As expected, some delegates were unsatisfied with Romney’s answers to their questions. That was particularly true among the dedicated contingent of Trump supporters who question Romney’s motives after periodically hammering the president for some of his policies and rhetoric.
“It’s what expected from a well polished politician,” delegate Joshua Badal, 27, said after asking Romney to explain his conflicting opinions of Trump’s leadership. “It seems to me he’s just changing his opinion to get the people to vote for him.”
Romney said he would stand up to Trump where they disagreed and work with him on shared goals. Romney also conceded that he’s been quite happy with the president’s accomplishments, more so than he ever expected.
He repeatedly mentioned Sen. Mike Lee, 46, a grassroots favorite and particularly beloved by convention delegates, discussing plans to partner with his fellow Utah Republican on issues critical to the state generally and conservatives in particular.
Romney went so far as to say he would consult with Lee before accepting any committee assignments, although he conceded he was eyeing the Appropriations, where he could impact spending; Finance, because of his business background; and Foreign Relations, because of his interest in international affairs.
Romney took aim at the $1.3 trillion omnibus spending package, which Trump signed in March, although he referred to it as a “continuing resolution.” Romney said he would have joined Lee in opposing the bipartisan legislation and hinted that he would be willing to force a government shutdown to block another bill like it. “When you play poker, you have to follow through with your bluff,” he told one voter.
Romney also pounded Senate Republicans for breaking their promise to repeal the Affordable Care Act (it cleared the House but failed in the Senate). But Romney took his criticism further, saying Republicans in Congress messed up from the very beginning when they decided to pursue legislation to “replace” Obamacare.
Healthcare, he said, should be left to the states. “I don’t want to fix Obamacare, I want to repeal Obamacare,” Romney told another voter, making him one of the few Republicans this election cycle to revive this old GOP rallying cry. As governor of Massachusetts, Romney crafted healthcare reform that served as a model for former President Barack Obama’s federal overhaul.
Many in the crowd that mobbed Romney’s convention booth during the morning meet-and-greet session of the convention walked away pleased.
“I’m impressed,” said self-described “ultra conservative” delegate Susanne Burbank, 60. “He’s got a good head on his shoulders. He’s somebody who’ll be honest and straight up with that. I love that.”
Burbank said she “loves” Trump, but fully supports Romney bucking his leadership on occasion. “He needs to be kind of reined in some time.”
