Mitt Romney Will Not Run Again For President

After a few weeks of speculation, Mitt Romney officially has announced he will not seek the Republican nomination for President in 2016.

Hugh Hewitt (who you can hear Saturday nights from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m on WROK) just scooped everybody on this story. He was emailed the full text of a statement that Romney will deliver to friends and supporters:

After putting considerable thought into making another run for president, I’ve decided it is best to give other leaders in the Party the opportunity to become our next nominee. Let me give you some of my thinking. First, I am convinced that with the help of the people on this call, we could win the nomination... but fully realize it would have been difficult test and a hard fight. 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. In fact, I expect and hope that to be the case.

[...]

I’ve been asked, and will certainly be asked again if there are any circumstances whatsoever that might develop that could change my mind. That seems unlikely. Accordingly, I’m not organizing a PAC or taking donations; I’m not hiring a campaign team.

I like Mitt Romney. I think he's a great man. I think he would have made for a good President if he would have won in 2012. But with the depth and quality of the GOP field I simply don't think there was a compelling reason for him to run again. He joins his running mate, Paul Ryan, as the two highest-profile candidates to reject a run at the nomination.