Romney eyeing a run against Reid in 2010?; Update and bumped with further analysis

That's the rumor going around right now, and what a coup this would be if he made the run, and pulled off the defeat of the Cryptkeeper. From the Reno News and Review:

Online columnist Sally Denton (a Nevada native and author of a book on Nevada politics): “Rumors swirl in Las Vegas that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is in the process of establishing residency in Nevada with his eye toward unseating his fellow Mormon.”

David Bernstein in the Boston Phoenix in Romney’s home state: “Mitt vs. Harry Reid? If you’re looking to sell a palatial estate in Nevada, I think I might know somebody who’ll be looking to buy soon. … Hint: Mormonism is an asset in Nevada. (Reid is Mormon, in fact.) Romney, you might recall, campaigned hard in Nevada and won the caucuses there, helping to blunt his loss in South Carolina. The genius of running against Reid is that, win or lose, Romney becomes a hero to the GOP just for taking it on. I think he’s planning to do it. Of course, he doesn’t actually live there, but that’s easily fixed.”

While we understand why the RN&R is bringing up the Mormon issue, we find it unnecessary to mention it. Everyone knows both men are Mormon. (As to why it's brought up, it may have a great deal to do with many Mormons calling for Reid's excommunication from the Church because of his more socially-liberal stances on issues like abortion and gun control.) But as to the run Romney could mount, he could bury the Cryptkeeper. He'll beat him in fundraising, and he'll appeal directly to the people of Nevada as he did during the GOP primaries. (Romney won the state after losing in South Carolina; his bounce-back moment.)

There are those that will likely shake their heads and bring up the ill-fated run of Alan Keyes against President Barry. But this isn't one of those moments. As long as Romney is a resident of Nevada in enough time to qualify for the run, he's safe. Keyes was a carpetbagger, and the replacement for Jack Ryan. Ryan, you'll all recall, withdrew his candidacy when the divorce and custody records were released to the public dealing with him and his former wife, Jeri Ryan. Everyone wondered how the custody records were released because both Jack and Jeri had requested, and been granted, those records would never be released, but a judge violated that request, and ordered the records released.

But if Mitt Romney decides to make this move, and make a run at Harry Reid's Senate seat, this won't be a Keyes/Obama redux. And Romney could easily take out the Cryptkeeper. This race would be akin to the Thune/Daschle election back in 2002 2004 when John Thune easily beat then- Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle. Cross you fingers folks that Romney takes this seriously, and takes out the Cryptkeeper.

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UPDATE: Ace links. Thanks! He also gives his opinion that it's unlikely he would consider the run because he is getting a lot of attention as a possible 2012 candidate. Even the Boston Globe says he's the only adult left for such a run, and that's a feat in and of itself as they're hardly Romney cheerleaders.

He's getting a lot of attention right now, and tons of speculation as we watch the economy continue to drop (it was up almost 400 points yesterday, and it's up about 30 points today) and remain in flux. Why? Because Romney could run rings around President Barry on the economy. Hell, had it been Romney in 2008 he likely would have won once the October Surprise/financial meltdown took place. President Barry was never specific about what he'd do, but Romney would've emphasized specificity, trumping the flowery rhetoric of the rookie.

So in this, I'll concede to Ace that he's likely right, and Romney won't make the run against Reid. But what about his sons? Tagg, Matt, Josh, and Ben Romney all meet the qualifications to be a senator save one (must be 30 years old, must be a citizen of the state they intend to represent, and have been a citizen of the US for nine years). The obvious one is they'd have to move to Nevada to challenge Reid. They would still have the advantages of that their father does (business-minded individuals that know how to fundraise and run a campaign) and they'd be a fresh, youthful face compared to the Cryptkeeper. We might want to inquire into whether or not they'd be interested in making a run to take down the Cryptkeeper.

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CORRECTION: E-mailers noted I messed up the year John Thune took out Tom Daschle. Yes, I know. Thank you very much. It's now corrected.

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