REPORT: Mitt Romney Is Considering Another Presidential Run

The 2012 Republican Party nominee reportedly made the remarks at a Manhattan meeting with more than a dozen top GOP donors.

"Everybody in here can go tell your friends that I'm considering a run," Romney declared, according to Politico reporter Maggie Haberman.

The announcement comes as a surprise to political observers, many of whom had predicted that the candidacy of another establishment-aligned Republican, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, would discourage Romney from the race. Bush, the brother and son of two recent presidents, has been steadily giving increasing signs that he will ultimately pull the trigger and launch a 2016 campaign.

Romney previously and emphatically insisted he would not launch a campaign for president. However, over the past year, he has occasionally given statements that opened the window to such a bid.

"Someone else has a better chance than I do. And that's what we believe, and that's why I'm not running. And you know, circumstances can change," Romney said last August. "Well, you know, let's say all the guys that were running all came together and said, 'Hey, we've decided we can't do it, you must do it.' That's the one of the million we're thinking about."

In another sign that Romney was open to changing his mind, the former Massachusetts held a meeting with top donors in December that left some attendees convinced he was interested in an another run for the White House.

More to come.