Mitt Romney, 2016 frontrunner*
Richard Ellis/Getty Images


Mitt Romney may have lost the 2012 election, but a decent chunk of Republicans are willing to give the former Massachusetts governor a second look. Thirty-four percent of Republicans say they could definitely back Romney in the 2016 GOP primary, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, the highest number recorded for any Republican. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Mike Huckabee tied for second at 15 percent.
Now, the poll didn't test candidates against each other. But Romney did take top honors this month in a horse race poll of the New Hampshire GOP primary.
That said, Romney insists he won't run, and even were he to do so, there are many, many reasons to believe he would flop. And the survey comes with the standard caveat that it's way too early to put much faith in horse race polls or declare a true frontrunner at this point.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.
-
Fed chair Powell in Trump's firing line
Speed Read The president considers removing Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell
-
Trump trashes supporters over Epstein files
speed read The president lashed out on social media following criticism of his administration's Jeffrey Epstein investigation
-
Judge nixes wiping medical debt from credit checks
Speed Read Medical debt can now be included in credit reports
-
Grijalva wins Democratic special primary for Arizona
Speed Read She will go up against Republican nominee Daniel Butierez to fill the US House seat her father held until his death earlier this year
-
US inflation jumps as Trump tariffs 'bite'
Speed Read Consumer prices are climbing and the inflation rate rose to its highest level in four months
-
SCOTUS greenlights mass DOE firings
Speed Read The Supreme Court will allow the Trump administration to further shrink the Education Department
-
Cuomo announces third-party run for NYC mayor
Speed Read He will go up against progressive Democratic powerhouse Zohran Mamdani and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams
-
Secret Service 'failures' on Trump shooting
Speed Read Two new reports detail security breakdowns that led to attempts on the president's life