Speculation mounts over Romney White House bid

Republican Mitt Romney might be considering a third run for president.(Photo: Julio Cortez, AP)Former presidential candidate Mitt Romney did nothing Friday to settle speculation that he might be close to announcing another White House bid.During a speech at a Republican National Committee meeting in San Diego Friday evening, Romney said, "I'm giving some serious consideration to the future."Romney's remarks at the gathering were his first even touching the campaign question since the 2012 GOP presidential nominee told about 30 of his supporters last week that he is seriously looking at making another presidential bid.ROMNEY: Some K Street donors slow to commit to another bidDuring the meeting, Romney also predicted that the GOP would win back the White House in 2016 and that he would back the Republican nominee, whoever that may be.The Republican race effectively began when Jeb Bush announced in December that he would "actively explore" a 2016 presidential bid. Since then, the former Florida governor has been courting major donors – including those who supported Romney in previous campaigns – and building his political operation.Some of the most generous bundlers in Romney's 2012 campaign have publicly stated they are staying on the sidelines or have already committed to Bush. Of the six K Street lobbyists listed as raising the most campaign donations for Romney's last campaign, only one declared his support for Romney in interviews with USA TODAY this week.Potential rivals for the 2016 GOP nomination have also criticized Romney.U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who has been expanding his political operation while he considers running for president, likened Romney to "yesterday's news" and said it was time for the Republican Party "to be looking for something fresh and new."