The Senate Republican leadership would like to make Mitt Romney the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) if elected to the Senate, according to Republican donor sources.

The Atlantic reported last Friday that according to a Republican donor with direct knowledge of the discussions, the Senate Republican leadership expressed interest in making Romney the next leader of the NRSC. Romney would replace current chair Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO). The NRSC chairman plays an influential role in fundraising and recruiting future Senate Republican candidates.

On a call last week Gardner revealed to a donor that he and the Senate GOP leadership “liked Romney” as a potential candidate for the NRSC chairmanship.

The Republican donor said, “It made perfect sense to me. He’s got the stature and a virtually unmatched fundraising base to draw upon. And he’s running because he wants a national platform to help the party anyway.”

The Atlantic reported that two sources close to Rommeny suggested that Senate Majority Leader Mitch Mcconnell told Romney that if he were to run for the Senate, he would have more influence than rank-and-file senators.

A spokesman for McConnell said, “I was not on any Gardner calls yesterday and am therefore unaware of any conversations he may have had.”

One source close to Romney suggested that McConnell would like to push for Romney to become NRSC chair to boost party fundraising.

The Romney source, “It’s definitely out there, there’s no question about that. My guess is McConnell’s pushing it because it would be good for the party and good for fundraising.”

The former Massachusetts governor and failed presidential candidate is expected to make an announcement on February 15 regarding Utah’s Senate race. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) announced in January he is retiring and multiple reports suggest Romney is eyeing a run.

Romney and Trump have had a longtime rivalry over the last couple of years.

“Affirmation of the Paris Agreement is not only about the climate: It is also about America remaining the global leader,” Romney tweeted last May.

Affirmation of the #ParisAgreement is not only about the climate: It is also about America remaining the global leader. — Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) May 31, 2017

Reports from Politico last December suggested that President Trump wanted to block Romney from running for the Senate.

Mitt Romney took to Twitter in January to attack President Donald Trump for allegedly calling Haiti and African countries “shithole countries.”

The poverty of an aspiring immigrant’s nation of origin is as irrelevant as their race. The sentiment attributed to POTUS is inconsistent w/ America’s history and antithetical to American values. May our memory of Dr. King buoy our hope for unity, greatness, & “charity for all.” — Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) January 15, 2018

President Trump rejected Romney to serve as his secretary of state, instead, choosing Rex Tillerson.

Jeb Bush, another former governor and failed presidential governor, backed Mitt Romney in a potential bid for the U.S. Senate in 2018.

Bush tweeted on January 15, “Mitt would make a phenomenal addition to the U.S. Senate. I hope he runs.”

Mitt would make a phenomenal addition to the U.S. Senate. I hope he runs. https://t.co/3Vcg6txQmN — Jeb Bush (@JebBush) January 15, 2018

The Washington Free Beacon, funded by GOP mega-donor and Romney 2012 campaign support Paul Singer, tweeted in January an image of Romney depicted as a muscular centaur throwing a spear.

Evan McMullin, a former presidential candidate and “Never Trump” activitst, urged Romney to run for the open Senate seat in Utah to replace Sen. Hatch.

McMullin tweeted, “Thank you for your service to our state and country, Senator Hatch. In this seat, we must have a leader prepared to meet the challenges of our day and our future. I hope that leader will be @MittRomney.”