Washington • Sen. Mitt Romney is joining a small handful of Republicans who are opposed to President Donald Trump’s nomination of former presidential candidate Herman Cain for the Federal Reserve.
The Utah Republican says he wouldn't likely vote for Cain, a former head of Godfather's Pizza, whose nomination has roiled markets because of his lack of experience.
Cain was chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, one of the branches of America’s central bank, but has been criticized as strictly a loyalist and political pick by Trump to counter the president’s angst with Fed Chairman Jerome Powell.
Romney on Wednesday said he has reservations about Cain, whom Romney ran against, among other candidates, in the 2012 Republican presidential primaries. (Romney won the nomination but lost to Barack Obama in the general election.)
Romney had previously raised concerns about Cain and suggested the president nominate someone else; on Wednesday, the Utah senator doubled down.
“I don’t think Herman Cain would be confirmed by the Senate, and I think the president would be wise to nominate someone who is less partisan and more experienced in the world of economics,” Romney said. “I would anticipate voting no if he were nominated.”
GOP Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Cory Gardner of Colorado also have said they would vote against Cain. With Republicans holding 53 seats in the Senate, one more defection from the GOP’s majority would doom Cain’s bid. The vice president could break a 50-50 tie, though that is rare with a presidential appointee, especially for the Fed.
Trump has yet to formally nominate Cain and wouldn't say Wednesday whether he thought the pending nomination was a safe bet.
“I like Herman Cain, and Herman will make that determination,” the president said before boarding Marine One. “He’s just somebody I like a lot. As to how he’s doing in the process, that I don’t know . . . Herman’s a great guy and I hope he does well.”
Romney previously told Politico that he was hesitant about Cain's nomination.
“If Herman Cain were on the Fed, you’d know the interest rate would soon be 9-9-9,” Romney said, referring to Cain’s famous pitch for the presidential nomination when he promised a 9% tax on personal income, the federal sales tax and on the corporate rate.
Cain quit the 2012 presidential race after allegations of inappropriate behavior surfaced from two women who worked at the National Restaurant Association when Cain headed the group in the 1990s. Cain’s campaign declined to address the charges but the candidate soon dropped out and endorsed Romney.
