November 19, 2009 | 1:29 pm

 

A few minutes before Mitt Romney spoke to conservative donors at a dinner hosted by the Young America's Foundation conference in Santa Barbara this month, he made a surprise appearance before a roomful of student attendees who had been squeezed out of the dinner due to lack of space.

 

"Hey, everybody!" he said. "Ho! Ho!"

 

The 200 or so young conservatives cheered. "You are a good American!" one young man shouted.

 

For a few minutes, the former Massachusetts governor bantered with the crowd with the ease of a stand-up comedian. He fielded questions about the economy -- "It will get better" -- and the 2012 presidential election.

 

"Are you running?" someone asked.

 

Romney laughed. "I'm running up the stairs," he said.

 

Romney, who sought the Republican presidential nomination last year and lost to Arizona Sen. John McCain, is widely seen as a front runner in the race for the 2012 nomination. Although he hasn't announced his intentions, he spoke like a candidate at the conference, seeming eager to impress the deep-pocketed donors in attendance.