We’re less than three months away from the caucuses and primaries that will result in a Republican presidential nominee. Yet contrary to the Republican establishment’s hopes, the two popular “outsider” candidates, Donald Trump and Ben Carson, are not going away. According to the Washington Post, their persistence has GOP leaders and donors discussing whether to bring 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney back as an alternative.
This is because, apparently, none of the other Republican candidates have emerged as a more palatable and powerful alternative to either Trump or Carson during the campaign and its series of debates. As a result, some leaders are desperate enough to look to Romney again, drawing up tentative plans for him to win over delegates in a late-in-the-game “convention fight.” Unfortunately, the former candidate has shown no intention of running again.
Donors in particular are worried about Trump or Carson winning a general election. The Washington Post points to two recent Trump sounds bites that heighten GOP concerns: his recent proposal to create a “deportation force,” and his opposition to a minimum wage increase because current wages are supposedly too high. As a result, “big money is still on the sidelines.” We’ll see if anything changes before next year.
(Via Washington Post)