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Former GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney greets the lunch crowd at the Varsity, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2014, in Atlanta. AP

ATLANTA -- Almost two years after his 2012 Election Day drubbing, Mitt Romney is the Republican man in demand.

The twice-defeated White House contender is in the midst of a busy midterm campaign schedule, covering seven states and nearly 6,000 miles in five days to raise money and energy for Republican midterm candidates from Georgia to Colorado.

Romney has repeatedly said he's not running for president again, and his closest aides laugh off a possible 2016 bid. But top GOP strategists and donors suggest his continued high profile in Republican politics highlights the party's murky future and a crowded 2016 field that is both flawed and without a clear front-runner.

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"There's a vacuum," said John Jordan, a major Republican donor based in California. "When there's 10 people in a possible presidential field, it's difficult for anyone to look presidential. None of these figures is overly compelling."

And even Romney's denials have been just short of absolute. As he told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt in August, he's not interested in another presidential bid - but "circumstances can change."

Just a month before the unofficial beginning of the next presidential primary season, Democrats have already begun to rally behind prospective candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton. The race for the Republican nomination, meanwhile, is as wide open as most political veterans can remember.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie had begun to assume a party leadership role before the George Washington Bridge traffic scandal tainted his brand. Major questions persist about former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's commitment to the 2016 contest, though his brother, former President George W. Bush, told Fox News on Thursday that he believes his brother "wants to be president." And the rest of the potential field features conservatives, such as Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who have passionate supporters among the Republican base but have yet to demonstrate more widespread appeal.

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Mitt Romney: Republican man in demand