In a move raising eyebrows across the Republican political landscape, outgoing Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, has thrown his backing behind freshman Sen. Katie Britt to be the GOP’s 2024 vice presidential nominee.
Romney said that Britt’s State of the Union rebuttal performance, panned by the media, is proof that liberals fear her.
The “media overreaction … tells us who liberals most fear as VP nominee,” Romney said.
Romney, the failed 2012 Republican presidential candidate, took to social media to defend the embattled Alabama senator in the wake of the intense criticism and mockery her awkwardly-delivered SOTU response provoked last week.
In a good way, the delivery was over-the-top, out of character—Biden’s, of course. Katie Britt’s too. The media overreaction to hers not his tells us who liberals most fear as VP nominee.
— Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) March 10, 2024
Britt’s rebuttal, laced with dramatic pauses, breathy whispers, and jarring emotional pivots, was also savaged by some conservative voices.
On social media, activist Charlie Kirk bluntly declared “this speech is not what we need” as the GOP aims to oust a “dithering and diminished” Joe Biden.
I'm sure Katie Britt is a sweet mom and person, but this speech is not what we need. Joe Biden just declared war on the American right and Katie Britt is talking like she's hosting a cooking show whispering about how Democrats "dont get it."
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) March 8, 2024
Romney’s endorsement elevates Britt’s stature at a time when Republicans are eager for news on vice presidential prospects.
The move aligns the anti-Trump Romney with Britt, who had delayed officially backing the former President Donald Trump’s campaign until December – months after most other Alabama Republicans had endorsed Trump’s 2024 bid.
Romney’s seal of approval could be interpreted as an attempt to position Britt as a palatable, establishment-friendly counterweight should Trump opt for a running mate aligned more with the MAGA wing of the party.
However, it could also simply reflect Romney’s genuine belief in the 40-year-old Britt’s political future.
Either way, the endorsement underscores the complexities facing the Republican Party as the list of potential vice presidential contenders narrows.
Some see Britt’s widely-mocked performance justifying removing her from VP consideration. Yet Romney evidently believes her struggles were overblown – and that she offers crucial benefits like gender, age and geographic balance.
Trump has not tipped his hand on potential running mates despite a frenzy of anticipation in the Republican Party.
In fact, top adviser Jason Miller recently cautioned that the list of Trump’s potential vice president “is actually growing and getting longer.”
“I think we’re quite a ways away, though, from seeing anything,” Miller said after Trump’s resounding Super Tuesday primary wins.
FLASHBACK: Donald Trump campaign makes VP race announcement
The Horn editorial team