By:
Adriana Colindres
While on the campaign trail for his father,
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, 31-year-old Josh Romney has
toured some memorable places, including John Wayne's birthplace in Iowa and
what is billed as "the world's largest truck stop."
The younger Romney, who is in Springfield for part of
this weekend, also intends to "do a little exploring" in the capital city and
take in sights such as the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.
But the main reason he's in town is to drum up support
for his father, a former Massachusetts governor vying to become the GOP
nominee for president next year. Josh Romney's Springfield schedule included a
Friday night speech at the National Federation of Republican Women's
eight-state conference and an open house from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. today at
Sangamon County Republican headquarters, 1132 Sangamon Ave.
State Sen. Dan Rutherford, a Chenoa Republican who
chairs the Romney presidential campaign in Illinois, invited Josh Romney to
Springfield.
All five Romney brothers are helping their father, and
their campaign-related travels are featured on a blog at http://
fivebrothers.mittromney.com.
In an interview Friday afternoon, Josh Romney said he
ex- pects his father to spend a lot of time in the Land of Lincoln, which has
moved up its 2008 primary date to Feb. 5.
As for Mitt Romney's prospects in this state, his son
said: "I think it's a little early to tell what's going on in Illinois. He was
here two weeks ago, in Chicago. He's raising a lot of money in Illinois, which
is good."
Mitt Romney is a Mormon, and, when asked about the role
of religion in his father's campaign, Josh Romney said, "I think in a lot of
ways it's positive because people want a man of faith. They don't particularly
care which brand of faith that man belongs to."
Josh Romney acknowledged that some critics have claimed
his father "flip-flops" on the issues, but he said the accusation is "simply
not true."
"He did on abortion, there's no doubt about that,"
Romney said (his father formerly supported abortion rights but now opposes
them). "He's been really consistent on everything else."
"I think the ability to change one's
mind is not necessarily a bad thing," the younger Romney added added. "I would
say it's probably more dangerous to find someone who's unwilling to change
their mind when they realize they're wrong and sticks to a position merely
because they held it a few years ago."
