After two unsuccessful attempts, Mitt Romney says he's over running for president.
The former Massachusetts governor, who first sought the Oval Office in 2008 before winning the Republican nomination in 2012, spoke with "Extra's" Mario Lopez about his political future before his charity boxing match with former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield last week.
"I think I'm running from fights like this, but I'm not going to be running for president," Romney told Lopez.
In early January, Romney said he was considering running for a third time. Several weeks later, however, he decided against another presidential bid.
"After putting considerable thought into making another run for president, I have decided it is best to give other leaders in the party the opportunity to become our next nominee," he said on a conference call.
He does, however, plan to hit the campaign trail in 2016.
"I'm going to be campaigning for the Republican nominee. I don't know who it will be," Romney said. "I think it's hard to tell who will be able to do the best job, connecting with voters, building the momentum it takes to overcome an electorate that may not be inclined to vote for us, but we're gonna see that over the debates and over the campaign season."
While he did not endorse any candidate, Romney noted "very good things coming" from former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (who has not yet officially declared his candidacy) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.).
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