Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney announced today that he is not seeking a third run for president in 2016. There was initial worry in the Republican field that Romney would soak up most of the party's donors and field operatives with his bid. With Romney no longer involved in the primary, it allows other potential candidates more time and resources to run. There was some concern within the party that Romney would not be able to defeat the Democrat's likely nominee, Hillary Clinton.
This allows other candidates to begin their plans for 2016. Potential 2016 candidates can now move on to forming their own potential presidential campaigns. Potential candidates Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and South Carolina Senator Lindsay Graham formed super PAC's this week to provide them more resources and staff should they choose to run for president. Kentucky Senator Rand Paul and neurosurgeon Ben Carson have begun to hire staff to move forward with their bids.
With Romney no longer in the race this provides for more establishment figures within the party such as former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie to appeal to donors who tend to donate to more moderate factions within the party. There was concern that the primary battle would get ugly if all three of them ran. Jeb Bush had began to take former Romney staffers which showed how personal things could have gotten between the two of them.
With Romney no longer in the race it means that a new candidate will be the Republican nominee in 2016. It will be interesting to see who the Republicans nominate and how they compare to the 2012 nominee. As the Republican nominee will almost certainly go up against Hillary Clinton, it will be interesting to see who she will run against.
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