Ann Romney sees son Josh Romney running for Utah governor

(Scott G. Winterton, Deseret News, File)


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SALT LAKE CITY — Josh Romney, son of former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, has said he is considering a run for Utah governor in 2020.

But his mother, Ann Romney, didn't equivocate Monday in a "Today" show interview when asked if she thought her son would seek the job.

"I definitely see it in the lights for Josh," she said.

Ann Romney's advice was to "go for it."

"It's worth making a difference. It's worth getting involved. Let your voice be heard," she said.

A Salt Lake-based real estate developer, Josh Romney has been seen as a possible candidate for the Senate in 2018, but he told KSL last December that he's more interested in the governor's race.

"I have been consistently asked by others to consider running for political office, and running for governor in 2020 is definitely something I am strongly considering," he said at the time.

GOP Gov. Gary Herbert's second full term expires at the end of 2020. He became governor in 2009 when Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. resigned. Herbert, 69, had served as lieutenant governor since 2005.

Other potential gubernatorial candidates include Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox, House Speaker Greg Hughes, R-Draper, and former Congressman Jim Matheson, a Democrat.

Ann Romney also said on "Today" that she was "thrilled" about President Donald Trump considering her husband for secretary of state, a post that ultimately went to multimillionaire energy executive Rex Tillerson.

"I thought Mitt would have been terrific. We very seriously considered it. It think he was very seriously being considered," she said.

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Mitt Romney would have accepted the job had Trump offered it, she said.

Ann Romney said she didn't "think for a moment" that Trump was stringing along her husband, who was very critical of Trump during the presidential campaign.

Asked if Mitt Romney would get back into politics, she said, "We're enjoying life the way it is right now."

Ann Romney's book, "In This Together," which details her battle with multiple sclerosis, comes out in paperback Tuesday. Proceeds from the book go to the Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.

"I feel great," she said in the "Today" interview. "I'm at this point where it's time to give back and really help others who are struggling with neurologic disease."

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