Romney drops out of 2016 US presidential race

Former United States Republican
party presidential candidate Mitt
Romney, after a three-week
flirtation with another run for
president, has definitively said that
he will not seek the White House in
2016.
“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,” the Republican Party’s
2012 nominee said in a statement
on Friday.
As Romney sounded out his former
team about putting together a new
national campaign, he discovered
that several of his past fundraisers
had already made plans for 2016
and were committed to supporting
former Florida Governor Jeb Bush,
the brother and son of former
presidents.
The Associated Press news agency
reported that several key former
Romney donors said that in Bush
they see someone who can
successfully serve as president, as
they believe Romney could. But
they also think Bush has the
personality and senior staff needed
to win the White House, something
the former Massachusetts governor
could not bring together in his two
previous presidential campaigns.
The former governor of
Massachusetts had jumped back
into the presidential discussion on
January 10, when he surprised a
small group of former donors at a
meeting in New York by telling
them he was eyeing a third run for
the White House.
It was a monumental change for
Romney, who since losing the 2012
election to President Barack Obama
had repeatedly told all who asked
that his career in politics was over
and that he would not again run for
president.
The exit of Romney from the
upcoming campaign most
immediately benefits the other
favourites of the party’s
establishment wing, including
Bush, New Jersey Governor Chris
Christie, Florida Senator Marco
Rubio and Wisconsin Governor
Scott Walker.
The more conservative side of the
field is largely unchanged, with a
group of candidates that will likely
include Kentucky Senator Rand
Paul, Texas Senator Ted Cruz and
former Arkansas Governor Mike
Huckabee.
Romney’s aides had acknowledged
a third campaign would have been
more difficult than his second, but
insisted he would have had the
necessary financial support, noting
his supporters raised more than
$1bn during the 2012 election.