Romney in race for US presidency
FORMER governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney yesterday officially kicked off his second bid to win the US Republican presidential nomination.
Romney, 64, a long GOP frontrunner in the polls, yesterday joined the race to beat President Obama and take the White House in 2012.
Romney has made clear his intentions to run for the presidential nomination ever since he was defeated by John McCain in the race to be the Republican nominee in 2008.
The polls have so far regularly shown Romney to be a leading candidate, despite in-party criticism of his statewide healthcare reform bill, which became the model for Obama’s national policy.
The financial predictions market, Intrade, shows Romney as the clear frontrunner, with a rating of 29 per cent, well ahead of major rivals Tim Pawlenty and Jon Huntsman, who only polled 19 and 16 per cent, respectively.
A clearer picture as to whether Romney stands a chance against Obama is unlikely to emerge until the start of the primary season in February 2012.
In his opening campaign speech, Romney told voters: “Government under President Obama has grown to consume almost 40 per cent of our economy. We are only inches away from ceasing to be a free-market economy.”