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 A former staffer, who asked to remain unidentified, said a
conference call with Romney was expected to be held at mid-morning
on Friday, and that he might give a signal as to which way he was
leaning.
Romney for the past three weeks has been seeking traction for
another presidential run after he was defeated by Democratic
President Barack Obama in 2012.
On Wednesday, he visited Mississippi State University in Starkville,
Mississippi, and in a closely watched speech, he emphasized a
commitment to tackle poverty in America, a correction from his 2012
candidacy when he was dragged down by his wealthy image.
Some of the people who raised money for Romney, seeing no dramatic
change from 2012 as yet, are so far inclined to move on to other
potential candidates like former Florida Governor Jeb Bush.
 This is presenting Romney with a dilemma should he decide to leap
into the fray again against what is expected to be a crowded field.
The problem is many of Romney's supporters believed him when he
vowed many times over the last two years that he would not run
again, and they started looking elsewhere.
Theresa Kostrzewa, a Raleigh, North Carolina, Republican who raised
money for Romney in 2012, said she had wanted to hear a statement
from Romney that he had learned from his mistakes in 2012 and would
run a different campaign.
"What I think right now is his time has come and gone," she told
Reuters. "I think he missed the boat."
Renee Schulte, an Iowa Republican who has been a Romney supporter
since 2006 and raised money for him in 2012, said she has been a
"true blue believer" in Romney and still thinks he would be a great
president if elected.
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But she doesn't see a path to victory.
"I've asked questions about what would be different, and I'm still
waiting for answers," she told Reuters. "What's different?"
In another troubling sign, David Kochel, a Republican strategist in
Iowa who backed Romney in the past, was named on Thursday as a
senior strategist for Bush. A Bush aide said Kochel is in line for a
senior role in Bush's campaign should he run.
Internal discussions among Romney's advisers have focused on the
need for Romney to present himself in a more approachable way, more
like the Romney seen in a favorable documentary released after his
defeat in 2012, a former Romney adviser said.
Romney and his team have been heartened by polls showing him leading
the field in the early days of the 2016 race. Applause broke out at
Mississippi State University on Wednesday night when Romney told a
packed auditorium he was considering a run.
(Reporting By Steve Holland; Editing by Michael Perry)
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