This morning I got in contact with Congressman Lamar Smith's office and asked why he is supporting Mitt Romney for President. Here is his response.

Mitt Romney is a good man and he has the values, the experience, and the ability to be a great president. Character always counts. Mitt Romney and his wife, Ann, have raised five boys. That alone may qualify him to be President! He knows what family values are all about.

Mitt Romney has earned a reputation for unquestioned integrity. He has always conducted himself with honor and decency.

And he has established a record of success in every area – public, private and non-profit. He has a history of solving problems and coming up with solutions when no one else can.

As Governor of Massachusetts, he reversed the state’s financial decline and balanced the budget every year of his administration. He turned deficits into surpluses and created 57,000 new jobs. Think what a record like that could mean for our country.

Governor Romney championed education reform. He supported merit pay and more math and science courses in high school, and made public colleges more accessible. He recognizes that better educational opportunities enable the next generation to prosper. Imagine what a record like that could mean for America’s students.

Along with education, a top priority of the American people is health care. Governor Romney persuaded a Democratic legislature to enact a law that provides health insurance to every
resident of the state. He accomplished this through the private sector, without a government takeover and without raising taxes. Think what it would mean to each American family to have a workable solution to the looming health care crisis.

Mitt Romney also has an impressive record in the private sector. He founded an investment company that helped launch hundreds of successful businesses. In other words, Mitt Romney
knows how to manage a large business and create jobs, something he has been doing all his life. Those talents will benefit our country too.

In the non-profit arena, Mitt Romney left a successful business career and became President and CEO of the 2002 Olympics when it was in disarray. In his three years at the helm, he erased a deficit, organized thousands of volunteers, and implemented unprecedented security measures after the 9/11 attack. The 2002 Olympics was considered the best ever held in
America.

As a candidate for President, Mitt Romney is the nominee our Party needs in 2008. He can unite the conservative coalition and help the Republican Party across this country from California to Maine. Frankly, if a conservative Republican can be elected in liberal Massachusetts, he can be elected anywhere!

We can make a difference in this election. We can help determine the direction of our country. We can pick the person who should win because of his values, character and experience --
and who will win because of his electability.

Mitt Romney is a good man; he will be a great President. Let’s give him our enthusiastic support.

Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) has represented the 21st District of Texas since 1987. He is the Ranking Republican Member of the House Judiciary Committee.

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