Republicans at national gathering dismiss idea of a third run by Romney

Mitt Romney's declaration that he is considering a third shot at the White House after being a two-time Republican presidential loser was widely greeted with disdain at a national gathering of Republican activists.

Romney, the Republican US presidential nominee in 2012, told a meeting of donors in New York last week that he was considering another White House run in 2016. Romney lost to incumbent Democratic president Barack Obama in 2012, and lost the Republican presidential nominating race in 2008 to Senator John McCain.

If Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, does enter the 2016 presidential race, opposition to a possible third White House attempt is already widespread and deeply felt, according to interviews on Thursday with a gathering of grassroots Republican party members where Romney was scheduled to speak yesterday.

At the Republican National Committee winter meeting in San Diego, many of the roughly 300 activists in attendance said Romney had had his chance. A third bid would also buck historical trends. Only one presidential candidate, Richard Nixon, lost a presidential race, as he did in 1960 to John F. Kennedy, to go on to win the White House in a later race. Nixon won the 1968 presidential election.

"Mitt Romney. He didn't run his campaign right against Obama. He flubbed it. Another Romney candidacy would be a complete disaster, and I don't think he'll even get there," said Bill Eastland, a Republican party member from Texas.

Should he choose to run in 2016, Romney will still be a formidable candidate, having maintained a network of wealthy donors and having learned lessons from two national presidential campaigns.

Moreover, Republican party activists, generally conservative, have not been the sole determining factor in recent Republican nominating fights, where moderates and independents have a big say.