Presidential Candidate Governor Mitt Romney: A Summary of His Political Issues and Views

Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is a 2008 Republican Presidential candidate. Governor Romney was valedictorian of his class at Brigham Young University. He earned dual business and law degrees from Harvard University.

Governor Romney generally supports President Bush's actions in Iraq, noting that there is a worldwide jihadist movement to destroy the West. He believes that Iraq is part of that movement, and should be dealt with in that context. He has stated that the troops should not be withdrawn in a precipitous way, resulting in having to go back. He has expressed respect for President Bush's leadership, and the fact that he does not just follow the polls.

Governor Romney has pledged that he will not raise taxes if he is elected President. He has not raised taxes in Massachusetts while governor there. However, he did raise fees for court filings, professional registrations, and firearm licenses. He also "closed loopholes" in the corporate tax structure, generating $150 million in increased revenue. Romney has also pointed out that he has vetoed bills that involved overspending hundreds of times as governor, and he will veto overspending in Washington, as well.

On the issue of immigration, Governor Romney says that his plan includes securing the border, having an employment verification system, and having illegal immigrants begin the process of applying for citizenship or permanent residency. He points out that the illegal immigrants should not be prevented from applying for citizenship, but they should not receive any advantage in the process for being here illegally.

On the issue of gun control, Governor Romney says that he supports 2^nd Amendment rights, but also supports a ban on assault weapons. As governor of Massachusetts, he signed into law one of the toughest assault weapons bans in the United States.

Governor Romney considers himself to be pro-life, and says that repealing Roe v. Wade would be good for America. He states that he was always personally pro-life, but questioned whether the government should intrude in the abortion question. He had previously stated that he would support the woman's right to choose, as the law provided. However, confronting the issue of cloning led him to develop a stronger pro-life position. He believes that cloning and creating new embryos is wrong, and that the mentality promoted by Roe v. Wade has led us to go too far.

His pro-life view also affects the issue of stem cell research. Governor Romney believes that altered nuclear transfer, which creates embryo-like cells, is a promising source for research. He does not support creating embryos through cloning or embryo farming, saying that doing so would be creating life for the purpose of destroying it.

Governor Mitt Romney has officially filed his candidacy. This is simply a summary of Governor Romney's views on some of the major issues of the campaign.