Mitt Romney says he is not a presidential candidate for 2016

NEW YORK, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- Mitt Romney says one thing he has no plans to do is run for the Republican nomination for president in 2016.

"I'm not running, I'm not planning on running, and I've got nothing new on that story," Romney said in an interview on the new Bloomberg TV show, With All Due Respect.

Romney, who spent one term as governor of Massachusetts, ran for president twice. In 2008, he withdrew from the race in February after taking a beating in the Super Tuesday primaries, and in 2012 he lost to President Obama.

Some recent polls have suggested that he would beat Obama if the election was held again now.

In the interview, Romney praised former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush as someone who "could be an excellent president." He predicted there will be about 15 potential Republican candidates when the first debates are held.

"Among those people, we're going to find someone who catches fire, who ignites the interest of the Republican base, and you're going to see someone who can go on to become president," Romney said.