March 18, 2016

Mitt Romney Announces He’s Voting for Ted Cruz

<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78428166@N00/7997979966/in/photolist-dbKJNj-d8d3hf-bByUUM-bx6QWV-dn538t-ax8YRy-EfD62R-oF2p5W-ax8DQJ-brHdNc-98MJyw-4ktYiR-ax6eW2-ax6f5M-ax6hUe-djgSBw-d1NfMG-cRFXpy-cQr1zL-bVQ6EE-oVuzSW-ax5X8P-bXk1ak-cRJUtJ-brxE5d-ax8Hvf-dhzKH3-bzrkS6-dr1Ggi-ax5X2T-ax8VoJ-dc9pu7-ax8Gxo-ax8WLh-cAVxGs-d6rSVQ-d9MUia-ax5XoV-drmTq7-ax5Wt6-bBrZZb-dmApYM-drmmuB-buJyXv-ax5WmM-ax8Ddj-dnwCnW-bdBE8F-a1suD1-bfZbrX">Tony Alter</a>/Flickr

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After condemning Donald Trump in a speech earlier this month, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney took an all-of-the-above approach to stopping the Republican front-runner from picking up the 1,237 delegates needed to secure the nomination. He campaigned for John Kasich in Ohio last week and offered to do the same for Sen. Marco Rubio in Florida.

But although Kasich did win his home state, Romney is now jumping ship. On Friday, ahead of the potentially winner-take-all Utah caucuses, the favorite son is going all-in for Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas.

In a statement on his Facebook page, Romney, the party’s 2012 presidential nominee, announced he would be supporting Cruz not just in Utah, but in all future contests as well. Lest there be any confusion, Romney offered praise for Kasich but indicated the time had come to pick just one candidate to stop Trump. Here’s the statement:

This week, in the Utah nominating caucus, I will vote for Senator Ted Cruz.

Today, there is a contest between Trumpism and Republicanism. Through the calculated statements of its leader, Trumpism has become associated with racism, misogyny, bigotry, xenophobia, vulgarity and, most recently, threats and violence. I am repulsed by each and every one of these.

The only path that remains to nominate a Republican rather than Mr. Trump is to have an open convention. At this stage, the only way we can reach an open convention is for Senator Cruz to be successful in as many of the remaining nominating elections as possible.

I like Governor John Kasich. I have campaigned with him. He has a solid record as governor. I would have voted for him in Ohio. But a vote for Governor Kasich in future contests makes it extremely likely that Trumpism would prevail.

I will vote for Senator Cruz and I encourage others to do so as well, so that we can have an open convention and nominate a Republican.

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WE'LL BE BLUNT

It is astonishingly hard keeping a newsroom afloat these days, and we need to raise $253,000 in online donations quickly, by October 7.

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Readers also told us to just give it to you straight when we need to ask for your support, and seeing how matter-of-factly explaining our inner workings, our challenges and finances, can bring more of you in has been a real silver lining. So our online membership lead, Brian, lays it all out for you in his personal, insider account (that literally puts his skin in the game!) of how urgent things are right now.

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