Romney says he's still mulling 2016 presidential run

In an Indian Wells appearance that had the makings of a presidential campaign stump speech, Mitt Romney said poverty, education and climate change are among the major issues the next U.S. president must play a leading role in solving, but he stopped short of definitively declaring he would make another run for the White House.

"For me this comes down to whether I think I'm in a position to do what the country needs or whether someone else would do better," said the 2012 Republican presidential nominee Monday night. "And that's a decision which is obviously very personal."

Romney, who also ran for president in 2008, declined to announce a time frame for his decision, but said he'll be giving the matter a lot of thought in the coming days.

He launched Indian Wells' Desert Town Hall 2015 speaker series Monday night, which included a 30-minute address that touched on economic and social concerns followed by a Q-and-A session, in which he was asked if he would run for president again.

Political commentators have also been weighing the possibility of another Romney run ever since the former governor of Massachusetts told supporters Jan. 9 that he was considering another presidential campaign.

Another contender likely playing into Romney's calculus is Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor who is the son and brother to former presidents. Bush was in Indian Wells on Friday for a series of private fundraising events for his recently created political action committee.

Romney, though, kept his focus on the issues. He said that while he hopes the skeptics about global climate change are right, he believes it's real and a major problem.

He said it's not enough for Americans to keep their own carbon emissions in check when much of the rise in greenhouse gases globally is coming from countries such as China and India.

Climate change drew little attention from either candidate in 2012, when Romney sought to deny President Barack Obama, a second term. At that time, Romney said he believed global warming was occurring but he was skeptical of its man-made origins and questioned spending to curb carbon emissions.

He said countries with the best teachers are recruiting their best college students to go into teaching. And he criticized teachers unions for being loyal to Democrats who aren't addressing education problems.

"Without question, the No. 1 factor that makes a great education system is great teachers," Romney said. "We have great teachers. I'd pay them more."

Past policies on poverty aren't working, he added. And he dismissed a proposal Obama is expected to make in his State of the Union address Tuesday to raise taxes on wealthy Americans. Romney said he doesn't believe it will lead to more jobs or higher wages.

"In my experience, the only system that's been able to lift people out of poverty is free enterprise," he said.

Poverty was an issue Romney raised when he spoke to a Republican crowd in San Diego.

On Monday, Romney said one do-over he'd like to have from the 2012 campaign was doing a better job of explaining how his policy ideas would help Americans rise up out of poverty.

"The reason I'm a Republican is because I believe that the principles of conservatism are the best to help people get out of poverty and the best to help people have opportunity and rising wages," he said.

The line brought huge applause from the crowd inside a ballroom at the Renaissance Esmeralda Resort and Spa.

Romney acknowledged the friendliness of the audience when he said, "As you know I ran for office in 2012, and my guess is I did pretty well in this room."

He said his 2012 campaign faltered by allowing the Obama campaign to define his image early on and he was hurt by campaign laws that limited his ability to spend money before the GOP convention.

Romney's lecture, complete with slides of graphs and maps, began with recognition that Monday was Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Romney said King's legacy was a reminder that one person can make a difference.

Romney mentioned President Obama and congressional leaders, including Republicans, when he said the nation's leadership is "failing in its most basic mission, which is to solve the problems of today and seize the opportunities of tomorrow."

Romney also spoke to about 150 area high school students during a separate talk before the lecture. When one young woman asked what he wanted to do differently should he decide to run again, Romney quickly responded, "I hope win," before going on to say he would do more to reach young and minority voters.

Romney then spoke to the students about how he defines success — something that came up again later when he spoke to the adults.

Success, Romney said, shouldn't be defined by measures that are often outside one person's control, but instead by factors such as having a commitment to community, family and God.

"Who I am is not defined by what I've done in the world, it is instead from what I've been able to contribute," he said.

Reach Barrett Newkirk at (760)778-4767, barrett.newkirk@desertsun.com or on Twitter @barrettnewkirk.