Romney sits out anti-union fight in Ohio
Terrace Park, OH - Campaigning Tuesday in the Buckeye state, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney declined to weigh in on a controversial state ballot measure that calls for the repeal of a recent law that limits collective bargaining rights for public employees.
Romney visited a Republican call center in Terrace Park, where volunteers were contacting voters and urging them to vote in favor of keeping the law on the books. The former Massachusetts governor declined to take position on the issue, saying he was unfamiliar with the details.
"I'm not speaking about the particular ballot issues," Romney told a crowd outside the call center. "Those are up to the people of Ohio. But I certainly support the effort of the governor to rein in the scale of government."
It was a distinct change in tone for Romney, who took an aggressive stance in support of a similar anti-union measure in Wisconsin earlier this year. In February, he weighed in in support of Republican Gov. Scott Walker's bill to limit collective bargaining rights for public employee unions in that state. "Liberal big government interests are fighting efforts to rein in out-of-control public employee pay and benefits in Wisconsin," Romney said then. "It is critical that we stand with the Wisconsin GOP as it stands up for the rights of the taxpayer."
A new Quinnipiac University poll released Tuesday showed that a majority of Ohio voters, 57 percent, favor repealing the law. Among Ohio Republicans, however, 59 percent say the law should be retained. Beyond limiting collective bargaining rights for unions, the law requires public employees to pay at least 15 percent of their insurance premiums and 10 percent of their pensions.
Kevin DeWine, chairman of the Ohio Republican Party, said Romney's visit was unrelated to any ballot initiatives. "It was most just a chance to say 'thank you' to the grassroots volunteer for the work they're doing this year and next," he said.
The campaign of one of Romney's main rivals for the Republican nomination, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, lambasted him for failing to strongly endorse the Ohio law. Perry spokesman Ray Sullivan said in a statement, "Mitt Romney's finger-in-the-wind politics continued today when he refused to support right-to-work reforms signed by Ohio Governor John Kasich - reforms Romney supported in June. Americans are tired of politicians who change their beliefs to match public opinion polls. ... Mitt Romney needs to realize that when you try to stand on both sides of an issue, you stand for nothing."
Terrace Park, OH - Campaigning Tuesday in the Buckeye state, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney declined to weigh in on a controversial state ballot measure that calls for the repeal of a recent law that limits collective bargaining rights for public employees.
Romney visited a Republican call center in Terrace Park, where volunteers were contacting voters and urging them to vote in favor of keeping the law on the books. The former Massachusetts governor declined to take position on the issue, saying he was unfamiliar with the details.
"I'm not speaking about the particular ballot issues," Romney told a crowd outside the call center. "Those are up to the people of Ohio. But I certainly support the effort of the governor to rein in the scale of government."
It was a distinct change in tone for Romney, who took an aggressive stance in support of a similar anti-union measure in Wisconsin earlier this year. In February, he weighed in in support of Republican Gov. Scott Walker's bill to limit collective bargaining rights for public employee unions in that state. "Liberal big government interests are fighting efforts to rein in out-of-control public employee pay and benefits in Wisconsin," Romney said then. "It is critical that we stand with the Wisconsin GOP as it stands up for the rights of the taxpayer."
A new Quinnipiac University poll released Tuesday showed that a majority of Ohio voters, 57 percent, favor repealing the law. Among Ohio Republicans, however, 59 percent say the law should be retained. Beyond limiting collective bargaining rights for unions, the law requires public employees to pay at least 15 percent of their insurance premiums and 10 percent of their pensions.
Kevin DeWine, chairman of the Ohio Republican Party, said Romney's visit was unrelated to any ballot initiatives. "It was most just a chance to say 'thank you' to the grassroots volunteer for the work they're doing this year and next," he said.
The campaign of one of Romney's main rivals for the Republican nomination, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, lambasted him for failing to strongly endorse the Ohio law. Perry spokesman Ray Sullivan said in a statement, "Mitt Romney's finger-in-the-wind politics continued today when he refused to support right-to-work reforms signed by Ohio Governor John Kasich - reforms Romney supported in June. Americans are tired of politicians who change their beliefs to match public opinion polls. ... Mitt Romney needs to realize that when you try to stand on both sides of an issue, you stand for nothing."
