In a conference call this morning, Mitt Romney confirmed that he will not be a 2016 Presidential candidate. He stated that he had given the option serious consideration but felt it was best for other party leaders to have an opportunity to become nominees for the next US President.
In addition, none of the possible Republican candidates for Presidency were endorsed by Romney. He stated that he feels strongly that the next generation will be made up of Republican leaders and that perhaps there is someone who is not as well known, someone just getting started who will ultimately emerge as the best candidate for beating any of the nominees with the Democratic party, adding that he not only hoped but expected this to be the case.
For weeks, Romney had been giving careful thought to again running for US President but that endeavor has now been put to rest. He admitted to being asked if there are any circumstances that might make him have a change of heart but that is not likely.
He made it clear that there is no PAC being organized, no donations taken, and no campaign team being hired. In conclusion, Romney told people who supported him that they were free to lend support to other Presidential candidates.
Just this past Thursday, many members of Romney’s inner circle were agitated when Jeb Bush, former Governor of Florida and who is giving serious thought to running for President in 2016, announced that David Kochel was being signed up to manage exploratory efforts, as well as run his campaign.
When it comes to Republican operatives, Kochel is ranked as one of the best. However, he was also a key player in Romney’s 2008 and 2012 terms. In addition, Kochel is extremely close to a number of people in Bush’s groups to include Mike Murphy.
According to Romney’s 2012 campaign manager, Matt Rhoades, Romney is a great man who always strives to do the right thing for both the Republican Party and the United States. He stated that having the opportunity to have worked with Romney was an experience he would cherish for life and the he is excited to see what next big thing he tackles.
Although Romney’s message was quite clear, he emphasized that if he were to run for President, he felt confident he would win and have the required funding to do so although the task would be a challenge. In fact, Romeny said that of all Republican candidates, he had the best chance to win against the Democrats, especially with new attention being given to poverty.
Regardless, supporters of Romney want to make it easy for someone else to emerge. While Romney did not answer any questions on the conference call, he did say that he and his wife agree it is time for him to step aside.