Dearborn, Mich.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney became the first major Republican presidential hopeful to formally declare his candidacy, returning to his native state of Michigan to make the announcement. Speaking in Dearborn’s Henry Ford Museum, Romney portrayed himself as a political outsider who favors a strong defense and opposes abortion and gay marriage. Romney, whose father was governor of Michigan in the 1960s, made a fortune in venture capital before becoming governor of Massachusetts from 2002 to 2006. He is a member of the Mormon Church, which some Christians consider a heretical sect. Romney obliquely addressed those concerns in his speech. “I believe in God,” he said, “and I believe that every person in this great country and every person on this grand planet is a child of God.”
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