Why in the world would Scott Brown, a former half-term Senator from Mitt Romney's Massachusetts, put himself in the mix for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination? The real question is: Why not? When Brown told the Des Moines Register over the weekend that he was heading to the Iowa State Fair "to determine whether there's an interest in my brand of leadership and Republicanism," the news was met with some amusement by political insiders. After all, Brown has already floated bids for New Hampshire senator and Massachusetts governor, and he doesn't seem likely to pursue either. 2016 Watch: Scott Brown makes a stop in Iowa
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There's a difference between running for president and "running" for president
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Scott Brown served part of one term in the Senate before losing his re-election bid
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There's almost no downside in a politician saying he's considering a presidential run
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Even some of his former advisers say they don't know what Brown is up to
Senator @placeholder's a skilled retail politician and this gives him a platform to talk about a brand of Republicanism we could use more of."
"The fact that he is in @placeholder doesn't surprise me," the Republican told CNN.