Romney Was 'Independent,' Not Strong Republican

As the Florida primary looms closer, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has more and more strongly identified himself as a consistent conservative and Republican voter, and in Thursday’s GOP debate he implied he always has been.

But a review of the facts paints a different picture and counters Romney’s assertions. In the past, Romney has often gone to considerable lengths to distance himself from Republicans and conservatives.

• Romney had been a lifelong independent before he decided to run for Ted Kennedy’s Senate seat in Massachusetts in 1994, the Boston Globe reported at the time.

When Romney debated Kennedy, Kennedy accused his opponent of trying to return the country to the policies of Reagan-Bush. Romney retorted: “I was an independent during the time of Reagan-Bush. I’m not trying to return to Reagan-Bush.”

• The Los Angeles Times reported that after Romney entered the '94 Senate race, his wife Ann said: “We didn’t know a single Republican when we jumped in.”

The Times also disclosed that Romney even considered running as an independent “before rejecting the idea as impractical.”


Read more on Newsmax.com: Romney Was 'Independent,' Not Strong Republican
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