Romney says no to 2016 run for president
WASHINGTON — He insists he could win, but Mitt Romney has stepped aside in the 2016 presidential contest in favor of the “next generation of Republican leaders” following a three-week fact-finding effort that revealed significant resistance to a third campaign.
The 2012 Republican presidential nominee formally ended his consideration of another White House bid Friday and encouraged supporters to seek another candidate from the field of prospective GOP contenders. Aides said it was a deeply personal and even painful decision for Romney.
“I believe that one of our next generation of Republican leaders, one who may not be as well-known as I am today, one who has not yet taken their message across the country, one who is just getting started, may well emerge as being better able to defeat the Democrat nominee,” Romney told supporters on a conference call. “In fact, I expect and hope that to be the case.”
Romney’s aides insist there was no specific incident that led to his announcement Friday.
For several months last year, some Republicans strongly encouraged Romney to run again as he toured the country raising money and energy for GOP colleagues, according to aides.
Romney, 67, a longtime business executive, has typically followed a scientific approach to challenges — political and otherwise — and demanded data before making a decision. In recent weeks he and his most trusted advisers plunged into making phone calls and personal visits with key GOP officials and activists across the country.
Aides offered Romney a blunt assessment of his 2016 prospects, suggesting there was a path to victory but also signs of eroding support among donors and in former strongholds such as New Hampshire. They made clear that a new bid for the GOP nomination would be more challenging than the last, when Romney dominated a field that never featured another strong establishment alternative.
