Former Gov. Mitt Romney (R) told a group of donors on Friday that he’s considering running for president in 2016, according to The Wall Street Journal, which cited “people present” for the former 2012 Republican presidential nominee’s comments.
If he did run, it would be a third presidential bid for Romney. The news comes as former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has been making moves that point almost directly at his own plans to run for president in 2016. Bush’s early but major steps toward running for president seemed to be partially an effort to prevent other mainstream Republicans (like Romney) from taking up the same place in a Republican primary field.
Romney, according to the Journal, made the remarks Friday afternoon in front of GOP donors in midtown Manhattan. Romney didn’t say when he would decide on running but he did mention international events as a reason for possibly running. He also cited the economy.
“Everybody in here can go tell your friends that I’m considering a run,” Romney told the room of about 30 Republican donors, according to Politico.
A day earlier National Review also reported that supporters, top donors, and friends of Romney had also been urging him to consider running for president a third time.
Bush spokeswoman Kristy Campbell declined to respond to the report.
This post has been updated.
