October 3, 2008

GOP presidential hopeful campaigns for Jon Porter

By Molly Ball, Las Vegas Review-Journal

He's no longer a presidential candidate, but former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney still keeps a schedule that would put a presidential contender to shame.

On Thursday, the Republican who won Nevada's Jan. 19 GOP caucuses in a landslide was in Boulder City campaigning for Rep. Jon Porter, who is in a tough re-election fight, facing a challenge from Democrat Dina Titus.

Earlier this week, Romney was in New Mexico and Idaho stumping for Republican U.S. Senate candidates. Thursday afternoon he headed to Elko to rally for the man who beat him for the presidential nomination, John McCain. Next week, an aide said, he'll be off to Missouri and Michigan.

"What kind of nation we're going to be is going to be determined by the people we choose to lead us at this critical time," Romney told a group of about 125 in a half-full gymnasium at Boulder City High School.

Leaders like Porter and McCain would keep America "strong, free and prosperous," Romney said.

"If instead we take a turn to the left," he said, the nation will be "less strong, less free and less able to defend ourselves in a dangerous world."

He criticized Democratic nominee Barack Obama for his willingness to meet with the leaders of hostile nations, saying McCain would "meet with our friends."

Romney also drew on his work expanding health care in Massachusetts, saying the number of uninsured there has been cut by two-thirds thanks to the reforms he implemented. He emphasized that those gains have come by people purchasing private insurance.

"Barack Obama has a different plan," Romney said. "Ultimately, he says he favors a government takeover of health care."…

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