If the prevailing thought among admirers is correct — that his true skill is solving problems, rather than politicking — then running for the Senate from Utah would allow Romney to play to his strengths. That’s not to say that if he were successful his term in Washington would be without cost. It would undoubtedly be less pleasant to plunge once more into the breach of America’s sclerotic Congress than to stay home and enjoy time with the Romney’s ever-expanding brood of grandchildren. Nor would it be simple to navigate a Republican party led by Donald Trump, with whom he has had a complicated relationship in the recent past.

But for boosters the potential upsides are hard to ignore: A Senator Mitt Romney would no longer need to flatter. He would no longer need to pander, jockey for position, or map out some future bid for higher office. Rather, he would at last be free to find solutions to the nation’s challenges with the backing of a base that seems to trust him far more than most. After a career spent straining to reassure an unending string of wary constituencies, that would be a relief.

More importantly, many now feel it might also be good for the country.