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Mitt Romney's dramatic comeback from the shellacking he took in the 2012 presidential election has many Republicans urging the former Massachusetts governor to take another stab at the White House.
But that won't happen — definitely not, Romney's former spokesman Ryan Williams told Steve Malzberg on Wednesday.
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"Gov. Romney has been very clear that he is not planning on making a third run for president. He's done it twice before. He's put his family through this process,'' Williams said.
"There are a number of people who really want him to run again because many of the things he said during the 2012 election, many of the warnings about Russia and Mali and the rise of the caliphate, have all come true.
"There's no question that if Gov. Romney ran again he'd be a strong candidate. He just doesn't want to do it,'' Williams said.
As Newsmax recently reported, in the nearly 20 months since Romney lost the election to President Barack Obama, many of the former Massachusetts governor's predictions have played out on the world stage.
For instance, Romney called Russia the nation's "No. 1 geopolitical foe"; he pledged strong support for Israel amid tense relations with Iran and other neighbors; he declared that corporations are "people" — and said that illegal immigration remained a continued threat to the American economy.
As many realities have developed in the United States and abroad, Romney's popularity has increased in national polls.
"Obviously, there are a number of people who are having buyer's remorse after the second term of Obama's administration has turned out an utter failure on healthcare, unable to manage foreign affairs, unable to control scandals to the IRS and elsewhere,'' Williams said.
"It's good to see, obviously, that people realize that what Gov. Romney said … much of it came true — even though he was mocked by Democrats when he warned about Putin's antics in Russia and other things.''
One reason for Romney's reluctance is the number of "very qualified'' GOP stars who may end up seeking the party's blessing, such as Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and Rand Paul of Kentucky; New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie; and Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, Williams said.
"He wouldn't want to get into a situation where he was competing with them because he feels he's done this twice. He's had his chance,'' he said.
"[It] didn't work out, and it's just time for him to do something else in life and move on.''
Williams, who is now vice president of the advertising, public affairs, and media relations firm FP1 Strategies, said that in hindsight, the 2012 Romney campaign would have done some things differently, although he did not elaborate.
"Hindsight is certainly 20-20 … Each campaign is going to be different. The atmosphere in which a candidate runs for president now can best be compared to a freak show,'' he said.
"Constant Twitter, constant attacks from all sides, and just a white-hot light being shined on anybody who seeks the presidency. So it's a very strange process.
"Obviously we would have done it differently, but I hope that some of these candidates can learn from some of our mistakes and successes, but that being said, there really is no experience like going through it.''
Williams said even though Romney will not run, he will still play an active role in the GOP's efforts to recapture the White House.
"Absolutely. Gov. Romney's been very active in the 2014 process for Senate [and] congressional races,'' he said.
"He's made 33 endorsements. All of those candidates won their primaries and he's looking to be a part of the process and to help good conservative candidates get elected.''
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