The Mitt Factor: Romney is the last hope for the GOP

On Friday, the former 2012 Republican presidential nominee officially threw his hat into the ring to replace the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah.

While there have been surprises before (see: Hillary Clinton’s 2008 and 2016 defeats), this particular Senate race is almost guaranteed for Romney. His net favorability rating is +47 as of December 2017, which far outweighs President Trump’s favorability rating in the state. In the 2012 presidential election, Romney carried the state, beating former President Barack Obama by almost 48 points.

So, now that we’ve established that he’s a heavy favorite to win the Senate seat, what will Romney bring to Washington and how will he help the GOP?

Possibly — possibly — a conservative check on Trump.

Sure, after Trump won the election, Romney was vying for a Cabinet position, possibly Secretary of State, and was caught on camera sitting with Trump for dinner that makes you want to hum the theme song of “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”

In his Senate announcement video, Romney rebukes everything that is being preached in Washington and sneaks in subtle jabs at Trump with respect to immigration, trade, and debt.

“Utah welcomes legal immigrants from around the world. Washington sends immigrants a message of exclusion,” Romney says.”

Romney could represent an un-Trumpified Republican Party, one that doesn’t succumb to the president’s braggadocious populist style of politics. The question is whether he will be afraid to call out his own party’s president if he feels he’s out of line or has gone too far.

So long as Romney has a solid backing in Utah (where anti-Trump conservatism was the strongest), Romney is untouchable. He’s the only answer to “Teflon Don.”

Maybe that doesn’t scare Trump even the slightest. But if Romney wins this Senate race, Republican kowtowing to Trump may diminish.

Siraj Hashmi is a commentary video editor and writer for the Washington Examiner.