The refusal of Utah Republican Senator Mitt Romney to back fellow Utah Republican Senator Mike Lee, who is a staunch conservative, in his bid for re-election infuriated Romney’s colleagues in the Senate.
In November, Lee, who is a constitutional law specialist, will compete against Evan McMullin. In 2016, McMullin ran a campaign that most likely stole votes from Donald Trump, who was engaged in a heated competition with Hillary Clinton.
Refusal To Pick A Side
A columnist for the Washington Post acknowledged in February 2021 that after McMullin’s petition to stop Trump from becoming president, McMullin became an Independent and founded a political group called the Stand Up Republic.
This organization worked to thwart far-right aspirants in GOP primaries and appoint centrist Democrats like President Biden.
According to a “source familiar to Romney,” who spoke with the Post columnist, Romney considers both candidates to be friends. This is why the columnist does not anticipate the Utah senator to make an endorsement in this contest.
On September 9, Senator Lee posted a list with the names of his fellow Republican senators who backed his re-election bid. Every Republican senator could be found on the list, with the exception of Romney.
I am grateful for the support of my Senate colleagues. Together, we will continue the fight for the American people. The failures of the Biden Administration and Democrats have damaged our nation for long enough. pic.twitter.com/EyeeWg7ySg
— Mike Lee (@MikeLeeforUtah) September 9, 2022
On Twitter, Lee expressed his appreciation to his fellow senators for their continued support.
They will keep fighting for the people of the United States. A long time has passed since the devastation caused to the country by the failings of Democrats and the administration of Biden.
According to a statement made by a spokesman for Lee’s campaign, Republican senators on the list either openly backed Lee, made a donation to his campaign, or voiced support for him.
Views By Fellow Republicans
The rejection of Mitt Romney to support Mike Lee was discussed with a number of Republican senators by Mollie Hemingway of The Federalist.
One of them shared with her that while they have a great deal of respect for Romney and are aware every state possesses its own dynamics, they do not comprehend why Romney is maintaining his neutrality.
Despite their many differences, they all try to lend one other support during election season. Another senator assured her there was no reason for them to be concerned about the state of Utah in any manner.
They don’t know what Romney is thinking, but whatever it is, it’s not going over well, especially with the senators who are vying for chairmanships in the committees.
As early as March, Henry Olsen of The Washington Post made the observation, “It ought to be a no-brainer for Romney to support his fellow Republican.”
GOP Senators Baffled By Mitt Romney’s Ploy To Oust Mike Lee — And Maybe Thwart A Majority https://t.co/ubZGGcVQb8
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) September 29, 2022
Among the most significant goals of the Republican Party is to regain control of the Senate. In order to achieve this goal, it is necessary to collect every vote that could be cast.
This article appeared in The Political Globe and has been published here with permission.
