For the 1970 U.S. Senate election from Michigan, state Republicans were looking for someone to run against Democrat Philip Hart, a two-term incumbent. Hart was heavily favored to win re-election, but Republicans thought he might be vulnerable on ideological grounds (for being too liberal) and owing to an anti-war protest arrest involving his wife. George Romney's name was mentioned as a possible candidate. Indeed, Nixon, who never had good relations with Romney either personally or on policy grounds, had by then decided he wanted Romney out of his administration but did not want to fire him, and hatched a plot to get Romney to run in the Senate race. However, George came up with the idea of Lenore running, and sprung it on Lenore and the children at the end of 1969. Lenore's name began being mentioned by other Republicans, even though she professed not to want to run unless no other candidate could be found. U.S. House Minority Leader Gerald Ford from Michigan thought she could unite the state party's different factions, but Governor William Milliken, who had succeeded George and was not eager to see more Romneys in power, opposed the notion. And while Lenore had achieved a good reputation for campaigning on her husband's behalf, there were some who suspected that her Senate candidacy was just a stalking horse for keeping George's options open. Such sentiments were exacerbated when George did not completely rule himself out of a possible race.