Former Massachusetts Governor and presidential candidate Mitt Romney was in Utah County last night campaigning for Republican congressional candidate Mia Love. Local and state lawmakers also attended the rally to show their support for the candidate.
About 600 people packed into a building at Thanksgiving Point Wednesday night to support Love. Former NFL star Burgess Owens started the rally and over the next 20 minutes the stage filled with former pro athletes, local city and county officials and state lawmakers all declaring their support for Love. Then Mitt Romney and Mia Love took the stage together. The former presidential candidate began with a jab at President Obama and then threw his support behind the person he hopes will represent Utah’s fourth congressional district.
“I’m convinced that she’s not just going to be a congresswoman, she’s going to be a great congresswoman, because she knows what it’s like to live in a real home in a real part of America that understand the challenges of America. She’s got an agenda that going to help get people working again and fix our schools and find ways to get people out of poverty and to help the middle-class and preserve the American dream,” said Romney.
Love told her supporters that she’s ready to take on the challenge of representing them in Washington.
“I am running for you. I am running for Utah. I am running for freedom. Run with me. And together we will ensure that our American dream rolls on.”
During her 2012 campaign for congress, Love enlisted the help of several establishment Republicans to campaign with her including Arizona Senator John McCain and House Speaker John Boehner. Democrat Jim Matheson defeated her in that race by less than 800 votes. Love’s campaign this time around appears to be drawing more support from local leaders. Mitt Romney is one of the only national Republican figures who has made the trip to Utah to campaign for her. Next week Love will meet her Democratic Challenger Doug Owens in a live debate broadcast from the campus of the University of Utah.
