Mitt Romney and Jeb Bush are set to meet in Salt Lake City, Utah, today, their presidential ambitions hanging awkwardly over the proceedings.
Relations between the former governors are not warm. It’s not a coincidence that Romney signaled his interest in a third presidential bid as he saw Bush gain traction among some of his top donors from the 2012 campaign. In doing so, he almost certainly scuttled Bush’s goal of raising $100 million by the end of March.
Bush was among the last of the Republican establishmentarians to endorse Romney in 2012 and did very little campaigning for him. His reticence drew the attention of the New York Times, and after he cast his ballot in the Republican primary, Bush told a local Florida television station, “thank God it’s a secret ballot.”
According to the Times, which first reported the news of the meeting, it was scheduled before Romney expressed his interest in a 2016 campaign. One can imagine that neither man is particularly looking forward to it now.