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SALT LAKE CITY — Thursday's private meeting in Utah between potential 2016 presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Jeb Bush shouldn't be seen as any sort of showdown, one of Romney's top advisers said.
"There's none of that," said former Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt, who headed the transition team that would have prepared Romney to take over the White House had he defeated President Barack Obama in 2012.
"There are two men who have known each other a long time and like each other, and they want to make sure there's good communications between the two of them," Leavitt said. "And absolutely nothing beyond that."
Leavitt said what may be more of a courtesy meeting was first discussed months ago, before Romney made a surprise announcement he's considering making a third run for president.
Even though Romney and Bush are now both contemplating the same question about their future, Leavitt said he doesn't believe there was "any serious conversation about how they're looking at it."
Bush arrived at Salt Lake City International Airport on Thursday morning and told KSL Newsradio the discussion would not be political.
Related:
Romney, Bush drop in favorability after potential presidential bids
Two-time presidential candidate Mitt Romney and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush have dropped in favorability recently, according to a poll released Tuesday.The former Florida governor, the son of one president and brother of another, dismissed the suggestion that the meeting could be contentious.
"Not at all. I respect him a lot. I admire him a lot. He's a great American. I look forward to seeing him," Bush said.
He said he had no reticence about sitting down with a potential rival for the support of the GOP establishment.
"Nope. At least not on my part. I don't think on his, either," Bush said as he walked through the airport. "We'll talk about the future of the country and how he's doing. I haven't seen him in a while."
Bush has already launched a political action committee known as Right to Rise to support a possible White House bid but wasn't ready to say Thursday how close he is to making a final decision.
"I've got a little bit more time. I'm traveling the country and helping the Right to Rise PAC I've set up," he said. "There's time. It's January."
Romney was onstage for an hour Wednesday at a Salt Lake event sponsored by an investment company but deliberately did not address the question of whether he's really going to run.
Leavitt said the decision is up to Romney.
"It's truly a personal decision that has big implications on him and his family," Leavitt said. "I continue to have a lot of faith in Mitt."
There are two men who have known each other a long time and like each other, and they want to make sure there's good communications between the two of them. And absolutely nothing beyond that.
–Mike Leavitt
As the 2016 race shapes up, it's not clear Romney will enjoy the same home-field advantage in New Hampshire, traditionally the first state to hold a presidential primary.
Romney, now a resident of Utah, owns a vacation home in New Hampshire and is well-known in that state as a former governor of neighboring Massachusetts. He won the 2012 GOP primary in New Hampshire.
But now Bush and other potential Republican candidates are seeking support among establishment-minded donors, elected officials and voters, The Associated Press reported.
"There is not a clear frontrunner in this race," said New Hampshire Republican Party Chairman and former Romney backer Jennifer Horn. "It's a new cycle, it's a new slate of candidates, and he's going to have to work really hard to earn the votes one by one — just like everyone else."
And without a win in New Hampshire, Romney faces a much tougher path to claim the GOP's presidential nomination for the second straight election.
"Because he's run twice, because he does have a residence in New Hampshire, because he does spend a lot of time in New Hampshire, from a strategic standpoint, it does become increasingly important for him to win New Hampshire," said the state's only Republican congressman, Frank Guinta.
Guinta spoke with Bush last week for 20 minutes but has yet to hear from Romney — and he isn't alone. Bush began courting Republican leaders in the state by phone last week, his first formal movement in New Hampshire, and he is planning a trip there soon.
Contributing: The Associated Press
