Romney closing in on presidential run

"None whatsoever. He'll make the decision on his own. Other potential campaigns won't make the decision for him," Goldman said, noting that while there are now three GOP candidates with exploratory committees, "I imagine there will be many more to come."

McCain counts among his supporters both Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. and Attorney General Mark Shurtleff. The governor's father, billionaire philanthropist Jon Huntsman Sr., and brother, David, back Romney.

Huntsman Sr. was invited to participate in next week's Romney fund-raiser but is unable to attend. Developer David Huntsman, however, plans to travel to Boston and make calls on Romney's behalf.

Romney supporters received an e-mail late Wednesday thanking them for "agreeing to help him as he takes this first important step toward becoming our president" and advising them they can give up to $2,100 individually or $4,200 as a couple.

Although some Romney supporters have pushed for him to declare his candidacy next Monday, it appears that announcement may be several weeks away. That's probably a wise strategy, University of Utah political science professor Matthew Burbank said.

"One of the problems of declaring too soon is your announcement becomes old news quickly," Burbank said. Waiting is "a good position to be in, rather than early on standing out there in the spotlight. ... Next week would be considered too soon."

Kelly Patterson, director of Brigham Young University's Center for the Study of Election and Democracy, said the next step for Romney is deciding how best to make his aspirations known.

The timing and location should "help voters understand and visualize why the candidacy is so important," he said, adding it should be "something that fits with a candidate's personality and aspirations but also maximizes visibility."

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Contributing: Suzanne Struglinski

E-mail: lisa@desnews.com