Mitt Romney and Jeb Bush, the two Republicans who might both battle for the same establishment mantle in a 2016 presidential primary, are quietly meeting this week in Utah.
The New York Times, which first reported the forthcoming meeting, said the summit had been scheduled between the two former GOP governors before Romney made clear over the last few weeks that he too was thinking about running for president again. (The meeting, according to the Times, was set up by Bush to confer with the party’s 2012 nominee ahead of a run).
Bush was spotted by several reporters on Thursday boarding a plane from Washington D.C. to Salt Lake City. Asked by a CBS journalist about the trip, Bush replied: “I like to ski. I can’t comment.”
Before Christmas, Bush, the former governor of Florida, announced in a Facebook post that he had decided to “actively explore the possibility of running for President of the United States.”
Then, two weeks ago, Romney informed donors at a New York meeting that he was actually considering another run for president in 2016, changing the dynamics of the developing GOP primary, especially for someone like Bush.
Since losing the 2012 presidential race, the former Massachusetts governor had repeatedly said he had no plans to run for the White House again. But in recent months, reports surfaced that he may have become more open to a run.
Should they both run, Romney and Bush — along with perhaps New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie — would likely compete for the same donors and supporters in a Republican primary.