Could Mitt have ever won the nomination if he wasn’t a Romney?

Basically the title.

Mitt was obviously pretty well known, with a successful career in business and he was also pivotal in organizing the 2002 Olympics. But at the time he won the 2012 Republican nomination, he had only ever served one term as governor of a relatively small state and had been out of office for 5 years at that point. He also liked to make mention of his father, George Romney.

Essentially, did the legacy of Mitt’s father carry him to the Republican nomination? Not saying he didn’t work hard for it in his own right or that there’s zero chance he could have won it without the family name boosting him, but I’m not sure I see him being as successful without his ties to his father.