Romney Campaign Press Release - Conservative Leader James Bopp, Jr. Endorses Mitt Romney

Constitutional scholar and Republican National Committee member James Bopp, Jr. wrote an open letter expressing his support of Mitt Romney:

My Fellow Conservatives,

Like all conservative Republicans, and most Americans, I believe that the future of our country, and the preservation of our way of life, depends on the defeat of President Barack Obama and his replacement with a president who supports free enterprise, limited government, traditional family values, and a strong national defense, based upon the principles of our United States Constitution.

Because of my obligations with the Republican National Committee and my belief that any of the major Republican presidential candidates would advance our conservative principles, I have stayed neutral, hoping that one candidate would emerge with the demonstrated ability and support to take on and defeat President Obama. That candidate has now emerged and, as a result, it is time to put aside our minor intra-family differences, to end the increasingly divisive primary fight, and to unite to focus on achieving our shared goal of defeating President Obama.

That candidate is Governor Mitt Romney.

Mitt Romney is a true conservative. One does not have to guess what Mitt Romney would do in office. He served for four years as Governor of Massachusetts and has a record that conservatives should be proud of.

As Governor, Romney fought for social conservative values. He vetoed bills that would have authorized state funding of embryonic cloning, would have changed the definition of human life from fertilization to implantation and would have given young women the morning-after abortion pill without a prescription. He promoted abstinence education in public schools. When the Massachusetts Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage, he left no stone unturned to set aside that ruling. And in contrast to the Obama Administration's war on the Catholic Church by mandating their institutions to provide contraceptives and abortion-inducing drugs in their health care plans, Governor Romney vetoed a bill that would have required Catholic hospitals to offer abortion-inducing drugs to potential rape victims.

Of course, it is true that Romney had a conversion to the pro-life cause, not unlike other Republicans such as Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. We should not only embrace him as a result of this conversion, but also recognize that he is a success story. But the best test of the sincerity of a conversion is deeds, and Mitt Romney was "consistently pro-life" as Governor, according to the President of Massachusetts Citizens for Life.

On the issues currently deemed the most important by the American people, the economy and federal taxes and spending, Romney also has a remarkable record. As a private investor in struggling businesses, Romney was very successful in turning them around. As governor, he issued more than 800 vetoes and cut taxes 19 times. The result, in a state with an overwhelmingly Democratic legislature, is that he closed a 3 billion dollar budget gap and turned it into a 2 billion dollar rainy-day fund.

Mitt Romney's success in the first five primary states, including wins in New Hampshire, Florida, and Nevada, have revealed an emerging consensus among Republican voters that he is the most electable — the most likely Republican candidate to defeat Obama. Romney has the broadest support among all elements of the Republican party electorate, has the most appeal to independents and swing voters, and is, therefore, the most electable of all. It is time, therefore, to celebrate the result and concentrate all our energy on achieving a general election victory.

Background On James Bopp, Jr.:

James Bopp, Jr. Is A Campaign Finance Litigator And Constitutional Scholar. He represents numerous pro-life, pro-family, conservative and Republican party organizations from his law firm in Terre Haute, IN. He also co-founded the Republican National Conservative Caucus and the RNC Conservative Steering Committee.