Mitt Romney: The Biggest Player In The 2010 Races

Mitt Romney is very busy these days. 

During this 2010 election, he has been on a whirlwind endorsement tour endorsing conservative candidates all over the country. Politico has an article detailing how active the former 2008 Presidential candidate has been in getting conservative candidates elected at the local, state and federal level. across the country. Politico has just released an

In fact, what Mitt Romney is doing this election is been engaging in an aggressive and ambitious campaign schedule that no other current big name conservative are even keeping:

"Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has parachuted into a handful of major events, including big-venue rallies for Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann and Georgia gubernatorial candidate Karen Handel. Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty has made several early-state and regional campaign swings, balancing his responsibilities as a sitting governor with his surrogate work as vice chairman of the Republican Governors Association.

Other possible candidates — like former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee — have picked their targets even more selectively, helping out contenders they have personal relationships with or diving into especially hot races like the gubernatorial primaries in Florida and Georgia."

As one Republican insider has explained:

“He’s doing all the things, at a much higher level than anybody out there at this point.”

Not only is Romney aggressive in his traveling schedule but he's also generous in his donations to political campaigns across the country: 

"As of Sept. 30, he’d given $940,000 through his Free and Strong America PAC to 188 congressional candidates, two dozen Senate candidates and 20 Republicans running for governor, according to financial information obtained by POLITICO." 

How has Mitt Romney become one of the strongest forces pushing the Republican wave in November? Armed with his business experience, he keeps his Free And Strong America PAC simple yet efficient:  

“They understand the goal of fundraisers is to maximize contributions and minimize costs, so they don’t demand private planes and other costly things that legally must be paid for by the campaigns,” said Bob Honold, who handles incumbent retention for the National Republican Congressional Committee.“

Its clear that Romney is laying down the foundation for another Presidential run, if that is his plan for 2012.

"But by establishing himself as a force in states beyond the early-primary circuit of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada, Romney’s cementing his role as a party leader and laying the groundwork for a potential nomination fight that lasts well past the first round of small-state elections. 

It’s a strategy that recalls former President Richard Nixon’s slow climb back to power after he lost the presidency in 1960 and the California governor’s race two years later: Gearing up to run for president in 1968, Nixon simply outcampaigned his competitors with a frenzy of activity in the 1966 midterms."

This isn't a new idea to me. I knew what Mitt Romney was up to back when the 2010 elections were just starting. Its was obvious to me that Mitt Romney was planting the seeds for political endorsements in 2012 by going all out in his endorsements for political candidates in 2010. 

We'll just have to see in 2012 if Mitt's strategy works.