Mitt Romney is hosting his former campaign team for a ski weekend at his Park City, Utah, chalet, stirring speculation that the 2012 GOP presidential nominee is looking to dip his toe back into political waters,
The Washington Post reported.
But an unidentified Romney aide told the newspaper the "informal" gathering later this month is purely for fun. The Romneys invited some campaign friends out for skiing, and the get-together is in no way a strategy session.
Romney has stated unequivocally that he will not seek the presidency again. The former Massachusetts governor is riding a wave of positive public sentiment following the release of the Netflix documentary "MITT," which chronicles his presidential campaign and offers a more personal look at the famously buttoned-up politician.
For three years straight, the Romneys have hosted an "ideas summit" in Utah, and plan to do so again this summer. This will be the first in a new, $8 million vacation property they purchased in October, according to the
Park Record.
Deer Valley SR LLC, which names Ann Romney as its manager, bought the slope-side chalet. Romney told
The Post in January that he has a 50 percent share in the home, which is split with an unidentified co-owner.
The idea summit’s purpose has evolved each year.
In June 2012, the event was a "donor gathering" for then-presidential contender Romney,
The Wall Street Journal reported last year. Wealthy business tycoons mixed with heavy-hitting Republicans, such as former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
The following year, after Romney’s defeat, it was dubbed an "Experts and Enthusiasts" retreat and included titans of industry and rising GOP stars Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, and Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, who was Romney’s running mate, along with some Democrats, such as Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and former Obama campaign adviser David Axelrod.
Romney said then that he saw the session as "chance to exchange views and update our thinking about where the world is headed and what the national agenda ought to be."