On a conference call with reporters today, 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney indicated he will not seek the GOp nomination for president in 2016.
According to a statement conservative radio talk show hos Hugh Hewitt received prior to the call, Romney indicated it is time to step aside after multiple presidential campaigns in order to allow the people on what is considered to be a deep Republican bench a chance to lead conservative against an expected bid by pro-abortion Hillary Clinton.
After putting considerable thought into making another run for president, I’ve decided it is best to give other leaders in the Party the opportunity to become our next nominee.
Let me give you some of my thinking. First, I am convinced that with the help of the people on this call, we could win the nomination. Our finance calls made it clear that we would have enough funding to be more than competitive. With few exceptions, our field political leadership is ready and enthusiastic about a new race. And the reaction of Republican voters across the country was both surprising and heartening. I know that early poll numbers move up and down a great deal during a campaign, but we would have no doubt started in a strong position. One poll out just today shows me gaining support and leading the next closest contender by nearly two to one. I also am leading in all of the four early states. So I am convinced that we could win the nomination, but fully realize it would have been difficult test and a hard fight.
I also believe with the message of making the world safer, providing opportunity to every American regardless of the neighborhood they live in, and working to break the grip of poverty, I would have the best chance of beating the eventual Democrat nominee, but that is before the other contenders have had the opportunity to take their message to the voters.
I believe that one of our next generation of Republican leaders, one who may not be as well known as I am today, one who has not yet taken their message across the country, one who is just getting started, may well emerge as being better able to defeat the Democrat nominee. In fact, I expect and hope that to be the case.
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I feel that it is critical that America elect a conservative leader to become our next president. You know that I have wanted to be that president. But I do not want to make it more difficult for someone else to emerge who may have a better chance of becoming that president. You can’t imagine how hard it is for Ann and me to step aside, especially knowing of your support and the support of so many people across the country. But we believe it is for the best of the Party and the nation.
I’ve been asked, and will certainly be asked again if there are any circumstances whatsoever that might develop that could change my mind. That seems unlikely. Accordingly, I’m not organizing a PAC or taking donations; I’m not hiring a campaign team.
I encourage all of you on this call to stay engaged in the critical process of selecting a Republican nominee for President. Please feel free to sign up on a campaign for a person who you believe may become our best nominee.
I believe a Republican winning back the White House is essential for our country, and I will do whatever I can to make that happen.
In a disappointing night for pro-life advocates back in 2012, pro-abortion President Barack Obama defeated pro-life candidate Mitt Romney in the race for president.
Romney was unable to capture the battleground states necessary to defeat the pro-abortion president. Although he captured Republican states like North Carolina and Indiana, he was unable to win key states like Ohio. Other states like Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and others that Romney hoped to be able to pick up from the Obama column did not come through for him.
The differences between the two candidates on abortion were stark.
Because a federal Human Life Amendment to the Constitution is an extraordinarily difficult long-term prospect, overturning Roe v. Wade is the only real method of achieving legal protection for unborn children any time soon. When it comes to Roe v. Wade, Obama has repeatedly voiced his support for the infamous abortion decision while Romney had repeatedly said he wants it overturned.
To overturn Roe v. Wade, we need more Supreme Court justices in the mold of Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas, both of whom have publicly made clear their desire to overturn the decision. President Obama named pro-abortion radicals Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor to the high court in his effort to keep abortions legal another 40 years.
The next president will have another chance to appoint Supreme Court judges and it is vital that pro-life voters rally behind the pro-life nominee in order to have any chance at protecting unborn children under law.
