McCain pitches his platform to Mormons
McCain pitches his platform to Mormons By Mark Flatten, Tribune January 9, 2007 Sen. John McCain pitched his expected presidential effort to much of Mesa’s business and political elite Monday in a bid to shore up his standing with social conservatives against likely rival Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts. The crowd was heavily skewed with members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, of which Romney is a member.
The hourlong, closed-door meeting came just days after Romney officially launched his presidential exploratory committee and on the same day that he staged a nationwide fundraising blitz.
McCain, R-Ariz., acknowledged strengthening support among influential members of the church in light of Romney’s candidacy was one purpose of the meeting in downtown Mesa.
He boosted that effort by bringing Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., a Republican, a Mormon and one of McCain’s early supporters in his expected attempt to win the presidency.
But beyond ensuring Romney does not cut into McCain’s conservative base in the East Valley, the senator said he hoped to rekindle the political alliances he formed with Mesa leaders when he first ran for Congress in an East Valley district in 1982.
“I really wanted to go back to my beginnings,” McCain said. “One of the things you really need to do as you go through a process like this is go back to your base and make sure you have a level of support and communications with them that is necessary to move forward. There’s nothing more embarrassing than to not have the support of the people you’ve been with from the beginning.”
McCain formed a presidential exploratory committee in November and early polls put him among the top contenders for the Republican nomination. His toughest rivals at this point appear to be Romney and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
Social conservatives have been somewhat leery of all three.
McCain opposes a federal constitutional amendment banning gay marriages, saying it is an issue that should be left to the states. He also supports federal funding of research into embryonic stem cells, which is opposed by many anti-abortion groups. McCain fought the tax cuts pushed by President Bush in his first term and backs an immigration plan that would create a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants already living in the United States.
McCain said Monday that he expects to draw strong support from social conservatives, even though they may not agree with him on every issue.
“I know that there are many issues that we are in agreement on and some issues that we have some disagreement on,” McCain said after the meeting. “But I think people in that room today are judging me on my overall record as opposed to any specific issue.”
Homebuilder Ira Fulton agreed, saying neither his Mormon faith nor disagreements with McCain on a few issues would cause him to drop his support for the Arizona senator.
“John has his own opinion and his own mind-set,” said Fulton, who attended the meeting with about 50 other East Valley leaders. “I personally don’t agree with everything John says, but I agree with most of it and that’s why I’m here to support him.”
Former House Speaker Mark Killian, a Mesa Republican, said he and his fellow Mormons tend to be conservative voters, and that Mc-Cain should do well with that group.
“It’s kind of presumptuous to say all Mormons are going to support Romney,” Killian said.
Officials in the Romney campaign did not return phone calls seeking comment.
Jason Rose, a Scottsdale political and media consultant and supporter of Romney, said the former governor and businessman has a strong base of support among Mormon voters, a sizable voting block in Arizona.
That backing comes largely because of Romney’s conservative stands on issues, such as his support of a federal amendment to ban gay marriage, Rose said. McCain has built his political image as a maverick who is conservative on some issues, but not on others, said Rose, who at this point has no official connection with the Romney campaign.
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=82028&source=rss&dest=STY-82028
The hourlong, closed-door meeting came just days after Romney officially launched his presidential exploratory committee and on the same day that he staged a nationwide fundraising blitz.
McCain, R-Ariz., acknowledged strengthening support among influential members of the church in light of Romney’s candidacy was one purpose of the meeting in downtown Mesa.
He boosted that effort by bringing Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., a Republican, a Mormon and one of McCain’s early supporters in his expected attempt to win the presidency.
But beyond ensuring Romney does not cut into McCain’s conservative base in the East Valley, the senator said he hoped to rekindle the political alliances he formed with Mesa leaders when he first ran for Congress in an East Valley district in 1982.
“I really wanted to go back to my beginnings,” McCain said. “One of the things you really need to do as you go through a process like this is go back to your base and make sure you have a level of support and communications with them that is necessary to move forward. There’s nothing more embarrassing than to not have the support of the people you’ve been with from the beginning.”
McCain formed a presidential exploratory committee in November and early polls put him among the top contenders for the Republican nomination. His toughest rivals at this point appear to be Romney and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
Social conservatives have been somewhat leery of all three.
McCain opposes a federal constitutional amendment banning gay marriages, saying it is an issue that should be left to the states. He also supports federal funding of research into embryonic stem cells, which is opposed by many anti-abortion groups. McCain fought the tax cuts pushed by President Bush in his first term and backs an immigration plan that would create a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants already living in the United States.
McCain said Monday that he expects to draw strong support from social conservatives, even though they may not agree with him on every issue.
“I know that there are many issues that we are in agreement on and some issues that we have some disagreement on,” McCain said after the meeting. “But I think people in that room today are judging me on my overall record as opposed to any specific issue.”
Homebuilder Ira Fulton agreed, saying neither his Mormon faith nor disagreements with McCain on a few issues would cause him to drop his support for the Arizona senator.
“John has his own opinion and his own mind-set,” said Fulton, who attended the meeting with about 50 other East Valley leaders. “I personally don’t agree with everything John says, but I agree with most of it and that’s why I’m here to support him.”
Former House Speaker Mark Killian, a Mesa Republican, said he and his fellow Mormons tend to be conservative voters, and that Mc-Cain should do well with that group.
“It’s kind of presumptuous to say all Mormons are going to support Romney,” Killian said.
Officials in the Romney campaign did not return phone calls seeking comment.
Jason Rose, a Scottsdale political and media consultant and supporter of Romney, said the former governor and businessman has a strong base of support among Mormon voters, a sizable voting block in Arizona.
That backing comes largely because of Romney’s conservative stands on issues, such as his support of a federal amendment to ban gay marriage, Rose said. McCain has built his political image as a maverick who is conservative on some issues, but not on others, said Rose, who at this point has no official connection with the Romney campaign.
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=82028&source=rss&dest=STY-82028
posted by presgore19 at 4:32 PM
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