Mitt Romney Has Launched A Senate Bid In Utah â And Some Republicans Are Playing The Carpetbagger Card
Mitt Romney
Mitt Romney  the former governor of Massachusetts   is now a Senate candidate in Utah â and the announcement of  his  candidacy shows  he âs sensitive about being labeled a carpetbagger.
âUtah â the Republican says at the beginning of a video  he  shared Friday morning on social media  âis admired not only for its beauty  but also for the character of its people. Utahns are known for hard work  innovation  and our can-do pioneering spirit. But more than these  weâre known as a people who serve  who care  and who rise to any occasion.â
It goes on like this for more than two minutes. One reporter joked on Twitter that he lost count of how many times  Romney  said âUtah.â The strategy telegraphed in recent days is clear and multipronged: Romney  who fell short in two previous White House bids and emerged as one of Donald Trumpâs fiercest critics  is trying to persuade voters that he is laser-focused on his adopted state and not on the president or the job heâs pined for in the past.
Though on paper this should be a cakewalk â Romney is hardly a stranger in Utah  and Democrats have little chance of picking up the seat â two prominent Republicans have made an issue of Romneyâs Trump-bashing and his relocation to the West. One of them  State Auditor John Dougall  told BuzzFeed News that GOP activists in and outside Utah have been encouraging him after he said this week that he was seriously considering challenging  Romney .
Dougall added that  Romney  had called  him  Thursday evening to inform  him  of  his  imminent announcement  which has been anticipated since Sen. Orrin Hatch made his retirement plans known last month. âI wished him all the best â Dougall said of  Romney .
A  Romney  spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Dougall declined to say who is encouraging him to run. But he suggested support would come from those concerned about electing someone who would not be aligned with Trump. For weeks on his Facebook page  Dougall has been arguing against a âcoronationâ of  Romney .
After the phone interview  Dougall added via email: âI should have also mentioned that âIt's clear that Utahns have a very favorable view of  Mr. Romney . The odds are strongly in  his  favor.ââ
Earlier this week  Utah Republican Party Chair Rob Anderson noted  Romney âs criticism of Trump and spoke dismissively of his Utah credentials in an interview with the Salt Lake Tribune: âI think heâs keeping out candidates that I think would be a better fit for Utah because  letâs face it   Mitt Romney  doesnât live here   his  kids werenât born here   he  doesnât shop here.â
Anderson later apologized to  Romney .
âIâve no doubt that  Mitt Romney  satisfies all qualifications to run for Senate â said Anderson in a Wednesday statement posted on Twitter  âand as chairman of the Utah Republican Party  I will treat all candidates equally to ensure their path to the party nomination is honest and fair.â
 [TGT] is now a Senate candidate in Utah â and the announcement of   [TGT]   candidacy shows   [TGT]  âs sensitive about being labeled a carpetbagger.
âUtah â the Republican says at the beginning of a video   [TGT]   shared Friday morning on social media  âis admired not only for its beauty  but also for the character of its people. Utahns are known for hard work  innovation  and our can-do pioneering spirit. But more than these  weâre known as a people who serve  who care  and who rise to any occasion.â
It goes on like this for more than two minutes. One reporter joked on Twitter that he lost count of how many times  Romney  said âUtah.â The strategy telegraphed in recent days is clear and multipronged: Romney  who fell short in two previous White House bids and emerged as one of Donald Trumpâs fiercest critics  is trying to persuade voters that he is laser-focused on his adopted state and not on the president or the job heâs pined for in the past.
Though on paper this should be a cakewalk â Romney is hardly a stranger in Utah  and Democrats have little chance of picking up the seat â two prominent Republicans have made an issue of Romneyâs Trump-bashing and his relocation to the West. One of them  State Auditor John Dougall  told BuzzFeed News that GOP activists in and outside Utah have been encouraging him after he said this week that he was seriously considering challenging  Romney .
Dougall added that  Romney  had called  him  Thursday evening to inform  him  of  his  imminent announcement  which has been anticipated since Sen. Orrin Hatch made his retirement plans known last month. âI wished him all the best â Dougall said of  Romney .
A  Romney  spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Dougall declined to say who is encouraging him to run. But he suggested support would come from those concerned about electing someone who would not be aligned with Trump. For weeks on his Facebook page  Dougall has been arguing against a âcoronationâ of  Romney .
After the phone interview  Dougall added via email: âI should have also mentioned that âIt's clear that Utahns have a very favorable view of  Mr. Romney . The odds are strongly in  his  favor.ââ
Earlier this week  Utah Republican Party Chair Rob Anderson noted  Romney âs criticism of Trump and spoke dismissively of his Utah credentials in an interview with the Salt Lake Tribune: âI think heâs keeping out candidates that I think would be a better fit for Utah because  letâs face it   Mitt Romney  doesnât live here   his  kids werenât born here   he  doesnât shop here.â
Anderson later apologized to  Romney .
âIâve no doubt that  Mitt Romney  satisfies all qualifications to run for Senate â said Anderson in a Wednesday statement posted on Twitter  âand as chairman of the Utah Republican Party  I will treat all candidates equally to ensure their path to the party nomination is honest and fair.â