BOSTON (AP):

Massachusetts Governor, Mitt Romney, said yesterday he is filing papers to form an exploratory committee to run for president, joining an increasingly-crowded field of Republican hopefuls.

"We've filed exploratory papers today, so the process is moving forward on that front," he told reporters yesterday, his final day in office.

A spokesman for Romney later said the paperwork officially would be filed late yesterday afternoon in Washington with the Federal Election Commission. The formation of the committee allows him to raise and spend money for a presidential run.

If elected, Romney, 59, would be the nation's first Mormon president.