Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, continues to keep people guessing about whether he will run for reelection next year.
An antagonist of former President Donald Trump, Romney has expressed confidence he would be reelected if he ran, and polls suggest he's correct, the Washington Examiner reported.
Romney has the full support of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., as well as Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., who chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
"He's an incredibly effective senator," McConnell said last month, the Examiner reported.
Still, Trump has been vocal about his desire to oust Romney from office and has encouraged others to get into the race. The GOP primary in Utah is not until next June.
Utah state House Speaker Brad Wilson launched an exploratory committee in April. He's holding off on an announcement until Romney makes a decision.
Romney has said he expects to announce his decision sometime this fall.
Wilson, who has secured the endorsements of nearly 50 state legislators for a U.S. Senate bid, has polled the most competitively against Romney among those considering a run.
Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs, who launched his Senate bid in May, has the support of conservative commentator Mark Levin.
Polls show Romney well ahead of both Wilson and Staggs, though a majority of Utah voters remain undecided.
Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes, who served as the state's co-chairman for Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign, has been facing pressure to get into the race, according to the potential candidate and his advisers, the Examiner reported.
Former Rep. Jason Chaffetz, who chaired the House Oversight Committee, has also indicated an interest in running. He says he'll make a final decision in the fall.
Utah resident and former national security adviser Robert C. O’Brien, who served under Trump, said in late August that he wasn’t considering running for the Senate.
Whether or not Romney runs, the seat is expected to remain Republican.
No Democrat has expressed an interest in opposing Romney, who filed a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission in April, allowing him to fundraise for a potential reelection bid without officially getting in the race.
The 2012 GOP presidential nominee has a large donor network and a $300 million fortune he’ll be able to tap into if and when he launches his bid for a second Senate term, the Examiner reported.
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Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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