Romney's national profile rises
Governor Mitt Romney's national profile has risen significantly over the last year, as he created a broad fund-raising machine, developed closer ties to President Bush, and became the chief GOP leader in a state that is home to both the likely Democratic presidential nominee and that party's convention.
A perfect storm of events -- including the convention, gay marriage, and John F. Kerry's presidential candidacy -- has created a swirl of national media attention for Romney, a marked contrast to his lower profile when he took office in January 2003.
Romney's new image will be on display tomorrow when he hosts a Boston fund-raiser for Bush that is expected to raise $1 million and further foster his links to the president, who had hosted Romney at the White House for two nights shortly before the president endorsed a federal constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.
By every indication, Romney and his staff are relishing his emerging role, even while insisting that the events are not of his making. They said the governor's increasing national role is being thrust on him because of the events rooted in Boston.
"There has been no effort on the governor's part to raise his profile nationally, although recent events have raised it for him," said Eric Fehrnstrom, Romney's director of communications. "We refuse far more national media opportunities than we accept."
Yet the new attention has been fueled in part by Romney's own actions, including a book about his experience leading the 2002 Winter Olympics that will be released this July just as the 2004 Summer Olympics and the two political conventions will be opening. The 400-page manuscript, written by Romney and his nephew, was delivered recently to an undisclosed publishing house, his advisors said.
The national attention has forced Romney to try to quash speculation about his future. He fended off a leading question Monday night from WBZ radio personality David Brudnoy about replacing vice president Dick Cheney, and laughed along with Bush when the president joked to a St. Patrick's Day breakfast that Romney would have to wait until 2008 to run for the White House.
To counter the speculation, Romney, in a private meeting with his political team two weeks ago, announced that he has chosen two aides, his deputy chief of staff Spencer Zwick and state Republican Party aide Alex Dunn, to head his reelection campaign.
"The governor's plan is to serve out his four years and then run for reelection," Fehrnstrom said.
Just a year ago, Romney, a 57-year-old businessman, took pains to shun the national scene and stayed clear of taking on major roles in national politics or national organizations such as the National Governors Association or the Republican Governors Association. When he traveled to the first National Governors Association conference, he took two aides.
But the shift has been dramatic. This year a stable of staff members accompanied him to Washington for the National Governors Association conference, including communications director Fehrnstrom, a press aide, an advance person, his chief of staff Beth Myers and her deputy Zwick, and his federal relations office chief, Cindy Gillespie.
In less high-profile activities, Romney has stepped up his participation in the National Governors Association and raised more than $260,000 for the Republican Governors Association, both important ingredients for a rising political figure with national ambitions. A year ago, Romney had avoided strong roles in both groups. For the Republican Governors Association, he hit up Massachusetts companies for donations, including $100,000 from MassMutual and $55,000 from Fidelity Investments.
Bush's interest in Romney also was evident when the governor was chosen by the president's staff to welcome the president at a fund-raising dinner last month in Washington for the Republican Governors Association. On that three-day trip he slept two of the nights in the White House family quarters. The visit included a private dinner with the president and Laura Bush.
The revised Romney game plan has set off a lot of buzz that he is laying the groundwork for a role in national politics, whether in a second-term Bush Cabinet or as a presidential candidate in 2008. His ambitions, however, would be dashed if Kerry wins next November. There would be no Republican administration to join, and it would be all but impossible to seek the GOP presidential nomination to oppose a sitting president from his home state.
Some reports emanating from Republican circles say that an internal debate among Romney advisers centers on whether the governor, if Kerry is defeated, should seek reelection in 2006 or serve out his first term and then launch a presidential bid as a private citizen. Running as an incumbent governor raises a host of problems, such as those faced by former governor Michael S. Dukakis.
Furthermore, if Romney were to run a national race, he would have to begin the campaign within days of his inauguration to a second term. He would be pressed in his gubernatorial reelection campaign to declare whether he intended to serve a full four-year term, a challenge that would need political finesse.
Fehrnstrom brushed off questions on Romney's presidential ambitions.
"The track record for Massachusetts politicians running for the White House has not been great," he said. "We are not sure it would be any different for Mitt Romney." 