Mitt Romney's ongoing, ardent support for not-Donald Trump manifested Wednesday in the form of a tweet: "I hope voters get to see former GOP Governors Gary Johnson and Bill Weld on the debate stages this fall."

It's another jab from the one-time Massachusetts governor and former presidential contender against his party's nominee. It simultaneously lends credibility to Johnson's claim this July that Romney was weighing endorsing the Libertarian Party ticket, which includes a fellow former Bay State governor in Weld. Romney hasn't been shy about his distaste for Trump, but his tweet doesn't necessarily indicate a break from the party, as he conspicuously highlights the candidates' joint history as Republican governors.



Romney has said he'll look at the candidates, but promised nothing. "If Bill Weld were at the top of the ticket, it would be very easy for me to vote for Bill Weld for president," Romney previously told CNN. "So I'll get to know Gary Johnson better and see if he's someone who I could end up voting for. That's something which I'll evaluate over the coming weeks and months."



To make the national debate stage, Johnson must attain 15 percent or higher in national polls. Multiple reputable sources have put him at 10 percent in recent surveys, inching closer to that threshold. Johnson fired off a reply tweet shortly after Romney's post Wednesday night: