Despite announcing in January that he wouldn't make a bid for the presidency in 2016, reports indicate that Mitt Romney's intentions have fallen on deaf ears and many of his supporters still expect him to run.
GOP establishment leaders are calling on Romney, who has run and lost twice before, to reconsider his decision to stay out of the 2016 race, according to The Washington Post. Romney's associates report that he's received a lot of calls but has shown no indication of changing his mind.
One friend of Romney's said there were some calls to Romney confidant Beth Meyers and others in his circle asking him to consider being a lifeline to the Republican Party and its chaotic primary fight.
These calls come as political outsiders like Donald Trump and Ben Carson continue to lead the herd of GOP candidates, reported the Deseret News. Many party officials hoped that as the first primaries drew closer, more establishment candidates like Jeb Bush would regain ground. Instead, while Carson and Trump continue to pull ahead in early polling, Bush has fallen further behind, leaving officials disoriented.
While associates of Romney include the caveat "never say never" regarding his decision process, they cautioned that the idea seems to come up about every two weeks.
"I really doubt he would do it," one friend of Romney's said, speaking on condition of anonymity, according to CNN.
Romney himself recently made his intentions clear during an appearance on CNN's "State of the Union with Jake Tapper" during an Oct. 18 interview.
"I can't imagine running right now and I'm glad I'm not in this race," Romney said, "I think the American people want to see a new face."
