Team Romney Ready for 2012 Run

Mitt Romney says he’s not running for office, but his former aides don’t believe him, Politico reports. Romney’s campaign staff never really disbanded. Loyalists meet in Washington every month, hold fundraisers, brief Romney on current events, and strategically publicize his every move. It’s a turnkey political organization none of Romney’s rivals can match. "I’m going be a Mitt guy until he tells me he’s not running,” said one former organizer.

“Having run for president puts you in a better place to run again,” said one strategist. “He doesn’t have to build an infrastructure.” Romney’s last primary run wasn’t especially successful, but loyalists believe that this time he’ll be able to play to his strengths as an economic guru, rather than focusing on  then-dominant national security concerns. “He’s clearly the frontrunner,” said a former McCain aide. (More Mitt Romney stories.)