“Mitt Romney is beginning to assemble a campaign team, and is turning to a former aide with ties to Chris Christie to work as a liaison with the media as the 2012 GOP presidential nominee takes steps to once again run for the White House,” CNN reports.

“Colin Reed, who most recently served as Sen. Scott Brown’s campaign manager, will begin to work for Romney immediately on a ‘volunteer basis.’ Reed was the deputy director of Rapid Response for Romney’s 2008 presidential campaign and worked in the governor’s press office.”

“I’d like to see him very badly run again. I think if he did decide to run, this third time, he’d win.”

— Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), in an interview with Yahoo News, on Mitt Romney.

“If Mitt Romney decides to mount a third presidential campaign, his pathway to the 2016 Republican nomination could be far more difficult than in 2012, when he faced a weaker field of candidates who at times seemed to be auditioning for a reality television show,” the Boston Globe reports.

The New York Times says that “interviews with more than two dozen Republican activists, elected officials and contributors around the country reveal little appetite for another Romney candidacy. Beyond his enthusiasts — a formidable constituency given that many are donors — opinions range from indifference to openly hostility.”

The Hill: “Republican lawmakers aren’t jumping on the Mitt Romney 2016 bandwagon.”

“Mitt Romney, who only days ago signaled he would explore running for president after repeatedly insisting he would not, is making a strong push that includes reaching out to fundraisers in Florida this week,” the Tampa Bay Times reports.

“That Romney would even make phone calls in Bush turf is a signal that he’s serious and sets up a clash between two of the most well-known figures in Republican politics.”

Boston Globe: “Romney’s escalating moves toward a run have created a dizzying atmosphere for his tight-knit circle, filled with conference calls and meetings. While he is facing some skepticism, a tougher road to the nomination, and a fair amount of head-scratching — even among his former network of campaign aides and donors — it is starting to look increasingly likely he will mount a third campaign.”

Mitt Romney will attend this week’s upcoming Republican National Committee’s meeting in San Diego, three sources told NBC News — and will make his first public comments since the news surfaced that he was considering a third presidential run.

Said an adviser: “He’s doing what he does well — and that’s due diligence.”

Jonathan Chait: “Eight years ago, John Kerry briefly considered another run for president, after also having failed to oust an incumbent despised by his own party’s base and mistaking the outpouring of commitment on his behalf as an expression of personal loyalty, rather than the partisan loyalty it actually was. Soon enough, Kerry came to his senses. Romney will, too.”

Morning Line: “It would upend the race. He leads in national GOP polls, but more importantly, Romney would start as the favorite in New Hampshire. The winner of the New Hampshire primary on the Republican side has gone on to the be the party’s nominee in nine of the last 11 presidential elections. Notably, that includes all of the last three cycles. Romney would also threaten former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and move New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie down a notch for the establishment track, setting up the potential for a protracted nomination fight between a couple of establishment candidates, the most viable harder-line conservative and possibly Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY). Of course, Romney came within 34 caucus votes of winning Iowa. And if conservatives split like they did last time, a Romney Iowa and New Hampshire sweep is possible.”

First Read: “And don’t forget this about Romney: Before his presidential aspirations, he had really never failed at anything before. That could be driving him more than anything else. “

In meetings with and individual calls to donors, supporters and former staffers, Mitt Romney “is making it clear that he is likely to run, putting his time frame for a decision at ‘weeks, not months,'” Politico reports.

“Romney, who made a fortune in the financial sector and was cast by Democrats in 2012 as a heartless businessman, wants to make tackling poverty — a key issue for his 2012 vice-presidential running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan — one of the three pillars of his campaign. The former Massachusetts governor also says he’ll have a different communications staff and hopes to show voters a version of himself they didn’t get to see last time. (There’s even a Netflix documentary he can point to.)”

“Mitt Romney is moving quickly to reassemble his national political network, spending the weekend and Monday calling former aides, donors and other supporters — as well as onetime foes such as Newt Gingrich,” the Washington Post reports.

“Romney’s message was that he is serious about making a 2016 presidential bid. He told one senior Republican he ‘almost certainly will’ run in what would be his third campaign for the White House, this person said. His aggressive outreach over the past three days indicates that Romney’s declaration of interest to a group of donors in New York Friday was more than the release of a trial balloon but rather was the start of a concerted push by the 2012 nominee to be an active participant in the 2016 campaign.”

Mother Jones has compiled all the times Romney said he wouldn’t run for president again.

“If Mitt Romney decides to mount a third presidential campaign, his pathway to the 2016 Republican nomination could be far more difficult than in 2012, when he faced a weaker field of candidates who at times seemed to be auditioning for a reality television show,” the Boston Globe reports.

“Over the weekend, Romney and his advisers began calling former supporters, trying to test the waters and gauge what might lie ahead.”

Morning Line: “Pardon those of us who followed both of the Romney presidential campaigns closely and watched the ‘Mitt’ documentary for being skeptical. One other factor adding to skepticism: the lack of build-up and preparation. Romney has yet to hire staff and begin setting up the outlines of an organization. And while candidate Romney sold off homes ahead of 2012, after his defeat, he filed to nearly quadruple the size of his La Jolla, Calif., beachfront home — the one with the car elevator — and was buying up property again in Utah, including a home with a Batman-like secret room.”

First Read: “People close to Romney still can’t imagine him doing the little things one often needs to do to win the presidency — in addition to a party’s presidential nomination. Hitting the constant fundraisers. Attending to the constituency groups. Courting local politicians in key states. That’s probably why, at the end of the day, Romney ultimately doesn’t run. But he definitely wants to be a part of the conversation.”

Time: “Members of Romney’s inner circle remain skeptical that the two-time Republican presidential contender will make a third bid for the White House, even after he told top Republican donors Friday that he was weighing another try for the Oval Office in 2016… Other major candidates have begun hiring staff, courting activists and taking other concrete steps toward assembling a campaign. Romney has not.”

“One Republican consultant suggests that posturing over a possible campaign was a way to signal that he wouldn’t cede automatically donors or staff to Bush… This is why veteran operatives of the Romney campaigns consider the revived rumors of a 2016 campaign overblown. They have long scoffed at the notion he’d run again. They believe their former boss would be an excellent president. They say Romney agrees. At the same time, they don’t expect a campaign to materialize.”

Mitt Romney told a meeting of donors that he is considering another White House bid in 2016, the Wall Street Journal reports.

“The possibility of a third Romney bid could upend the emerging GOP field, coming as top Republican donors are starting to rally behind former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush… The former Massachusetts governor didn’t give a timetable for making a decision about another White House run, but he cited unrest overseas as one of the reasons he’s considering another campaign. He also mentioned the long-term health of the economy.”

Harry Enten: 5 reasons Romney may be tempted to jump in the race