Free Republic

Mitt Romney was firm and direct with the abortion rights advocates sitting in his office nine years ago, assuring the group that if elected Massachusetts governor, he would protect the state’s abortion laws. Then, as the meeting drew to a close, the businessman offered an intriguing suggestion — that he would rise to national prominence in the Republican Party as a victor in a liberal state and could use his influence to soften the GOP’s hard-line opposition to abortion. He would be a “good voice in the party” for their cause, and his moderation on the issue would be “widely...

Scottsdale, Arizona (CNN) - Members of the Republican National Committee gathering in Arizona were invited to meet with Mitt Romney in private Friday and have their pictures taken with the presumptive GOP nominee, but there was a price of admission: loyalty. RNC members and state GOP chairmen were welcomed into the private reception only after signing a form pledging to support Romney as a delegate to the national convention in Tampa. – Follow the Ticker on Twitter: @PoliticalTicker All 168 members of the committee have a vote at the convention as "superdelegates" – and one of Romney's supporters on the...

Mitt Romney was a moderate governor in Massachusetts with an unimpressive record of governance. He left office with an approval rating in the thirties and his signature achievement, Romneycare, was a Hurricane Katrina style disaster for the state. Since that’s the case, it’s fair to ask what a Republican who’s not conservative and can’t even carry his own state brings to the table for GOP primary voters. The answer is always the same: Mitt Romney is supposed to be “the most electable” candidate. This is a baffling argument because many people just seem to assume it’s true, despite the plethora...

VERNON HILLS, Ill. (AP) -- Mitt Romney's wife says now is the time for Republicans to unite behind one presidential nominee. Ann Romney stood at her husband's side Sunday night at a rally in suburban Chicago and offered the campaign's most aggressive plea yet for Republicans to end their extended nomination fight.

Mitt Romney says it's been a good night for Rick Santorum, but that he still expects to become the Republican nominee for president. After losses to Santorum in Missouri's non-binding primary and the Minnesota caucuses -- where he is in third place -- Romney is congratulating the former Pennsylvania senator but continuing to focus on President Barack Obama. Despite Tuesday's setbacks, Romney says he is ready to lead the Republican Party and is happy to compare his record on leadership to Obama's.

NOVEMBER 13, 2011 WSJ/NBC Poll: Cain, Perry Woes Bolster Romney and Gingrich By Jonathan Weisman A week of turmoil in the race for the Republican presidential nomination has damaged Herman Cain and devastated Texas Gov. Rick Perry, all apparently to the benefit of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, according to new polling numbers from the Wall Street Journal/NBC News survey. (The full results are here.) Republican presidential hopefuls (L-R), Herman Cain, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry at the South Carolina Presidential Debate at Wofford College Saturday. (Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Images) The Journal/NBC News polling team late last week...