Romney's Third Presidential Run Would Be Motivated By Mormon Faith, Friends Say

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney has purportedly said that he will decide if he should run for U.S. president for a third time within two weeks, saying his Mormon faith is motivating him to give the election another try.

Multiple media reports regarding Romney's possible third run have been swirling since the former presidential candidate announced that he may run during a high profile Republican donors' meeting in Manhattan earlier in January.

News anchor and journalist Larry King tweeted this week that after meeting up with Romney in Salt Lake City, Utah, he can confirm that the Republican politician will decide on a presidential campaign in two weeks' time.

"Flew into SLC w @AnnDRomney. @MittRomney picked her up. He told me he'll decide about a run for President w/in 2wks," King tweeted this past Saturday.

Kirk Jowers, a Mormon who chaired Romney's leadership PAC, recently told the New York Times that Romney's consideration of a third run is motivated by his "almost devout belief that he needs to do something for this country."

Jowers also said Romney would approach religion differently during this campaign cycle. "In 2008, Romney risked being a caricature of the Mormon candidate," he said. "Now everyone seems to know everything about him, and that will be very liberating for him to talk about his faith."

AT a GOP donor meeting in midtown Manhattan in early January, Romney reportedly told those in attendance that they "can go tell your friends that I'm considering a run."