Bill Leonard, a conservative leader in the state for over 2 decades and currently a member of the State Board of Equalizaztion has endorsed Mitt Romney for President. Below is his statement.
I have decided to support Governor Mitt Romney in tomorrow’s Republican Presidential Primary and invite you to join me.
After 24 years as a legislator, I thought I knew how government worked. Yet, the last five years as a constitutional elected official in an executive branch agency has taught me that I did not know as much as I thought before. With all due respect to the Senators McCain, Obama and Clinton, our next President needs to be a former Governor and Governor Romney is the right one in many ways.
Executive power is quite different than legislative power. Being the person with whom the buck stops demands and defines leadership in ways that being one of a hundred or more does not. Governors give the best clue about how they will lead the nation by their service in their state. In this way, I knew that President Reagan would be better than President Carter because I was able to compare their records in their states. Governor Romney was a successful leader of a politically tough state, which is good training for the snakepit of Washington, D.C.
In addition to impressive executive credentials, Gov. Romney has outstanding conservative principles. He understands, firsthand, the importance of keeping taxes low, stimulating the economy appropriately, and creating jobs in a competitive global environment. He also understands the financial, public safety, and moral concerns of illegal immigration.
Some are concerned that Gov. Romney came late to certain conservative policy ideas, but I have always welcomed converts to the cause. In fact, I believe that converts—whether to a religion, a political party or an idea—have a unique obligation to explain to others why they changed their mind and decided on this new faith, alliance or position. Gov. Romney has done an outstanding job of explaining why and how his positions have evolved and his concrete explanations have convinced me that he understands things now that he did not before. It takes a strong leader to grow publicly and I commend the Governor for expressing his changes of heart and mind in language so clear as to be compelling.
Finally, but perhaps most prominently, is that Gov. Romney exemplifies the values I appreciate in a man and believe very important in an elected leader. He is unabashedly a family man and has done a spectacular job of raising five young men and building a delightful relationship with his bride of several decades. This is the kind of family I want to see in the White House, representing our country internationally and showing our young people the happiness that comes from long-lasting marriage and raising children in such a marriage.
It is never too late to endorse an immensely qualified, impressive and exceptional conservative leader for President. Please join me in supporting Governor Romney.