Player of the week: Mitt Romney

The former Massachusetts governor, who finished third in the 2008 GOP presidential primary, behind Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) and ex-Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, will formally launch his campaign in New Hampshire.

{mosads}Romney is considered the front-runner to win the GOP nomination in 2012, but few would be surprised if he came up short. Critics have called Romney a flip-flopper, and pointed to his role in Massachusetts’s healthcare reform law (and its individual mandate) as a fatal flaw to his candidacy. Some have also said evangelical voters will never warm to Romney, who is Mormon.

Yet Romney has a fair amount going for him. He is a proven fundraiser, his campaign is extremely well-organized and many high-profile Republicans have opted not to run.

The GOP also has a tendency to nominate the next person in line, and without a doubt, right now that’s Romney.

It is safe to say that this will be the 64-year-old’s last realistic shot to win the White House. And he’s already showing that his 2012 bid will be different from his 2008 effort.

Romney finished a distant second in both Iowa and New Hampshire last time around. McCain, who won New Hampshire, subsequently triumphed in South Carolina on his way to the nomination.

It remains unclear how much time and money Romney will invest in Iowa, though his emphasis is clearly on New Hampshire.

But first things first. Romney must convince restless GOP voters that he can win. During an interview on NBC’s “Today” show Tuesday, Romney said the odds of him beating President Obama are better than 50-50. 

Should he face Obama in the general election, “RomneyCare” will not be as big of an issue as it is now. That’s a long way off, though.

Denying Obama a second term will be an enormous challenge for the Republican Party. For Romney, securing the GOP nomination could be even tougher.