Bush, Romney to meet in Utah

Jeb Bush and Mitt Romney, two leading Republicans considering running for the White House in 2016, are scheduled to meet in Utah on Thursday, a Romney aide confirmed.

The meeting, first reported by The New York Times, comes amid worries by some in the GOP that the men could split primary voters and give rise to a nominee outside the party establishment. The Times reported that the session was initiated by Bush and had been scheduled before Romney announced this month he was mulling a third White House run.


“It’s a previously scheduled social meeting between two friends that’s been on the books for a while and remained on the calendar,” the Romney aide told POLITICO on Thursday morning.

It was not clear where in Utah or at what time the meeting is taking place.

Romney entered the race after allies signaled he was unsatisfied with the emerging GOP field, including Bush, who announced in December that he was exploring a 2016 run.

Both men are former governors, and while they’ve never been close allies, they have generally had a cordial relationship. But since Romney announced he was testing the 2016 waters, he and Bush have both been reaching out to many of the same donors and other potential backers as each seeks to shore up support for a bid.