Rep. Jason Chaffetz to Mitt Romney: Let Your "Hair Down a Little Bit'
— -- While many Republicans are split about another Mitt Romney campaign, Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, is making no secret he is the former Massachusetts governor’s biggest cheerleader on Capitol Hill.
But as Romney considers another bid for the White House, the Utah congressman is offering some advice on what he can do differently from his previous failed presidential runs.
“I want Mitt to just be Mitt. I want him to let his hair down a little bit, just tell it like it is,” Chaffetz told ABC News.
Chaffetz, who also serves as chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said Romney has adopted a more “candid” demeanor since his presidential run three years ago.
“I think if you’ve seen Mitt since the election, that’s the Mitt Romney I know. He’s very candid, very authentic and I think he’s learned that lesson that everything can’t be fully scripted and prepared. You just got to be who you are and let the American people see that,” Chaffetz said.
Chaffetz, who also serves as chairman of the House Oversight Committee, is one of the few former Romney supporters on Capitol Hill who’s ready to sign up for another Romney run.
Chaffetz is so eager for Romney to pursue another presidential bid that he’s already criticizing one of his biggest potential rivals -- former Gov. Jeb Bush.
“Three times a Bush? A Bush vs. Clinton? I don’t know. I don’t bump into too many people who get excited about another Clinton and another Bush,” he said. “We’ve never had a Mitt Romney in the presidency and sitting in the oval office and giving that a try, and certainly this country has a bigger, broader array of people who can actually serve at the highest levels than just another Clinton or another Bush."
