( CNN ) Mitt Romney sparked a firestorm of criticism from Republicans when he announced his interest in running for president again , and now he 's taking further friendly fire — from within his own circle of former aides . Two former top Romney campaign aides panned another Romney run , with one , Romney 's former Florida campaign manager Brett Doster , backing Jeb Bush instead . Vin Weber , a co-chair for Romney 's 2012 bid , told Bloomberg Politics in an interview that aired Thursday afternoon that he 's not decided on who he 'll support in 2016 and he 's `` not happy '' about the former Massachusetts governor 's reemergence onto the presidential politics scene . `` I 'm not happy , frankly , with the way that he 's chosen to re-enter presidential politics , and I think his friends need to be honest with him about that , '' he said . `` He 's a great man , he would be a great president but there 's not a lot of good precedent for somebody losing the election and coming back four years later and becoming the nominee . '' Weber referenced former New York Gov . Thomas Dewey , who ran unsuccessfully for president three times and unexpectedly lost what many believed to be an easily winnable race in 1948 to Democratic President Harry Truman . `` It did n't work out too well , '' Weber said of that bid . And Doster said in an email reported by FloridaPolitics.com that `` Mitt Romney was a great leader for our party in 2012 ... but Jeb is my man , and Florida is Jeb Bush country . '' Romney staffing up for 2016 bid . Romney 's announcement to donors that he 's seriously looking at another run for president shocked GOP leaders and operatives , including many of his former staffers and supporters . Some of Romney 's top aides , however , are loudly on-board for another run . Eric Fehrnstrom , a longtime Romney aide and his top campaign advisor in 2012 , tweeted out poll numbers showing Romney polling way ahead of the pack . Indeed , Romney 's experienced a renaissance since losing to President Barack Obama in 2012 , with his image rebounding and the GOP looking to him as a de-facto leader on many issues . But his interest in running for president has sparked a wide array of criticism , both from his potential rivals and some of the party 's most prominent voices , including the Wall Street Journal editorial board . Right 's top 5 arguments against Romney in 2016 . Weber acknowledged that the period following the 2012 campaign has been good for Romney , but noted that the conversation surrounding the former Massachusetts governor has shifted since his interest in the 2016 race became known . `` I think that Governor Romney had two increasingly good years after losing the presidency , and now he 's had one pretty bad week , '' he said . Romney vs. Bush : The unexpected match-up .
Mitt Romney 's 2012 campaign co-chair is `` not happy '' about his interest in 2016 . `` There 's not a lot of good precedent '' for someone running successfully a third time , he said . Romney 's expressed interest has prompted criticism from all quarters .