“‘He was tanned, rested and ready,’ said one former campaign aide of his old boss.

For the Romney team, it’s not too much of a stretch to say that the campaign never really ended.

In addition to the full-time employees the former Massachusetts governor has at his Boston-based Free & Strong America PAC, the early primary states and Washington are filled with former staffers and supporters who are in regular contact with one another.

Whenever Romney has a major TV appearance or pens an opinion piece, a PAC staffer, Will Ritter, circulates the news to an e-mail list of the former governor’s extended political family.

The Washington-based alumni have a regular monthly luncheon, are working on another reunion-like event around a 2009 candidate later this year and always make sure their former candidate is briefed on the latest political doings…

“I’m going be a Mitt guy until he tells me he’s not running for president,” said Jim Merrill, who ran Romney’s New Hampshire primary campaign and said he still gets excited e-mails from local activists every time the former governor is on TV.”