Romney seeks support from Kentucky Republicans

By: Bruce Schreiner

The Associated Press

Saturday, Feb 03, 2007

"Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney made a pitch for support Saturday night in Republican-leaning Kentucky, where he gained momentum by winning the endorsement of three GOP congressmen.

"Romney spoke to more than 1,500 GOP faithful at the annual Lincoln Day Dinner – where the main attraction was the first joint appearance by the party's three gubernatorial candidates in the May 22 primary.

"In his speech, the former Massachusetts governor said he supported President Bush's troop buildup in Iraq to try to bring stability to the Iraqi capital and other areas plagued by violence."

...

"Romney also touched on a cultural issue important to many social conservatives who make up a key voting bloc within the GOP. Romney said the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court 'struck a blow to the families' when it ruled in 2003 that the state could no longer deny marriage licenses to gay couples. He said the court ruling ignored that 'a primary purpose of marriage is the development and nurturing of children.'

"'Every child deserves a mother and a father,' he said, drawing applause from the crowd.

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"On the eve of his visit to Kentucky, Romney picked up endorsements from three Kentucky congressman - Ron Lewis, Harold 'Hal' Rogers and Ed Whitfield.

"Rogers said Saturday that he considers Romney the most qualified and electable candidate in the Republican presidential field."

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"Former state Republican chairman John McCarthy said Romney was off to a 'great start' in Kentucky.

'''Getting the endorsements of the members of Congress here in Kentucky is big,' McCarthy said. 'I really like him. He's got a lot to offer our country.'"

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"Romney continued his tough stance toward Iran on Saturday, after accusing Democratic presidential hopeful U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York of 'timidity' toward the Middle Eastern nation.

"He called for Iran to abandon its nuclear program. 'It's no time to reward bad behavior,' Romney said. 'It's instead time to indicate that there are penalties associated with developing nuclear weapons.'" ...

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