Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican Presidential nominee reiterated that he is not running for president amid speculation that he could be the Republican nominee in the event of a contested Republican National Convention in July. However, Romney said he would gladly accept it if given the chance.
Yes, Mitt Romney could actually become the Republican presidential nominee https://t.co/J1J5uWAd3G pic.twitter.com/WfnIbnqUYU
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“I don’t think anyone in our party should say, ‘Oh no, even if the people of the party wanted me to be president, I would say no to it.’ No one is going to say that,” Romney told NBC’s Meet the Press.
Although Mitt Romney insisted on numerous occasions that he is not joining the race, it is possible that someone who is not running for president could be nominated, according to Steffen Schmidt, a political science professor at Iowa State University.
.@MittRomney: “I’m not running for president.” @FoxNewsSundayhttps://t.co/9Q4B2sX4Nx
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A contested convention only happens when the candidates fail to gather the required number of delegates to secure the nomination. “If nobody has enough delegates, then the negotiation begins,” Schmidt explained. “For example, Donald Trump would go to Carson delegates or Rubio delegates and say back me, support me, I’m the most like what you want.”
Analysts say the odds are the GOP nomination has two outcomes: a Trump victory or a contested convention: https://t.co/UhD0sM8PF8
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If none of the delegates is able to collect a majority, that is when someone like Romney, who is not running, could be considered for a nomination. Schmidt added that the party could also tweak some rules to allow Romney to be placed in as the candidate.
Mitt Romney remains positive that such a “brokered” or “contested” convention would never happen. However, RNC Chair Reince Preibus maintains that there is a tiny possibility that such scenario would occur.
Mitt Romney said he is planning to endorse any of Donald Trump’s three rivals but insisted that he is not running. “I can tell you this: I’m not a candidate. I’m not going to be a candidate. I am going to be endorsing one of the people who is running for president.”
.@MittRomney calls contested convention “realistic scenario,” comments on @realDonaldTrump https://t.co/FlfXo0sRZ2 https://t.co/4579mdwHYv
— CNN (@CNN) March 4, 2016