IRON COUNTY TODAY: Patrons enjoying breakfast at Cedar City’s Market Grill were greeted by a surprise guest last Friday. Mitt Romney, hopeful to become Utah’s next senator in November, was visiting Cedar City to attend the annual Lincoln Day dinner and dance. Before leaving, he took a few moments to share why he not only still believes in America, but believes in Utah, too.
“Everyone in Washington is speaking of greatness,” Romney began. “Greatness, in my opinion, has at least two components. The first is strength. A nation needs to be strong with good jobs and a strong military to defend itself. The second component is being good. America is not just strong, it is also good. Throughout our history, we’ve made extraordinary mistakes, but they’ve all come from a desire to do what was right. The world has seen America as a place motivated by what is right. I know that Utah is great because it is not only strong and growing—the fastest growing state in America—but also, it’s good. The people of Utah are good people.”
With a strong endorsement from retiring incumbent Utah Senator Orrin Hatch, Romney isn’t just running because he’s confident he can win; he wants to win because he believes he can make a real difference for Utahns. Romney has been out of the political spotlight and arena, but credits his wife, Ann, with the endorsement and encouragement for him to step up and run for the office of Utah’s senator.
“I hope to win,” Romney expressed. “I’ve learned it’s more fun winning than losing, but I’m not afraid of running because I’m not afraid of losing. You fight for what you believe in. I don’t define myself by whether I get a promotion at work, or by whether I win or lose an election. My life is defined by my relationship with my wife, my family and my God.”
Speaking of his previous bid for the U.S. presidency, he added, “Just because they don’t promote you to general doesn’t mean you stop fighting. I will keep fighting for the things I believe in; even it means disagreeing with the current president.” A president who Romney says he respects, but isn’t afraid to oppose. “The President and I have sparred on occasion, but we respect each other,” he shared. Romney is proud of the president for lowering taxes and cutting back on regulations, topics which Romney supports.
Closer to home, Romney wants to eliminate debt in Utah and be more assertive on attracting the best employers and jobs up and down the entire state. He also emphasized that wherever there’s a university, like Southern Utah University, it should be a magnet for entrepreneurs, innovation, and growth. Romney will also fight for the environment and increase input on the protection and preservation of Utah’s federal lands, including the assets of Utah’s national parks.
When all is said and done, Romney shared that the legacy he wants to leave for Utahns is, “That I helped make Utah a better place. That I helped lift people out of poverty and improved their standard of living.” He continued, “I also want to help our country at a time of great transition and turmoil. I say that because innovation, relating to artificial intelligence and automation, is going to kill a lot of jobs. It will cause a major dramatic disruption, and I want to be there to help us navigate through that disruption, so that we have good jobs for our citizens, and more opportunities and better prosperity for the people of Utah.”
Original article: http://ironcountytoday.com/news/romney-running-utahns-not-just-senator-status/