Romney is the latest Republican governor eyeing higher office

BOSTON — Maybe it's the problem-plagued Big Dig highway project or the state's reputation as a hotbed of Kennedy liberalism, but Massachusetts can't seem to hold the affections of its Republican governors.

Gov. Mitt Romney is the latest in a string of GOP chief executives with a wandering eye.

Though he insists he is focused on a 2006 re-election campaign for governor, Romney is also looking increasingly like a potential Republican presidential contender for 2008.

There are many possible signs, including his recent speech to Republican activists in the key primary state of South Carolina, and his unveiling of a more conservative stance on stem cell research during an interview with The New York Times.

He has also assembled a fund-raising operation to distribute money to GOP candidates outside of Massachusetts, including those in top presidential primary states.

Romney's apparent shift to the right is a crucial strategic move if he hopes to woo more conservative Republicans who dominate among the party's primary voters. Democratic candidates must similarly appeal to their party's liberal base during the primaries, then move toward the middle for the general election.

In 1997, moderate-to-liberal Republican Gov. William Weld, then midway through his second term, resigned to fight for a job as ambassador to Mexico; he was ultimately stymied by conservative Republican Sen. Jesse Helms of North Carolina.

Weld handed the governor's office to Republican Lt. Gov. Paul Cellucci, who ran and won election as governor, only to step down after being appointed ambassador to Canada by President Bush.

Romney has done little to quell speculation about a presidential run.

Romney, vice chairman of the Republican Governors Association, has said he is just fulfilling his duty as GOP cheerleader.

"I support the president, I support the party, and when I go out to fund-raisers for Republicans in other states I'll make sure and make a good pitch for the Republican party generally," he said.

One thing that works in Romney's favor is the absence of an obvious front-runner for the nomination, with Vice President Dick Cheney having taken himself out of the running.

Other potential GOP candidates, some with better name recognition, include: Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., Bill Frist, R-Tenn.; New York Gov. George Pataki; and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Romney is remembered in Utah as the man who rescued the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. He was recruited for the job amid allegations that civic leaders paid bribes to members of the International Olympic Committee to bring the games to town.