Romney clinches Republican Party’s presidential nomination

Tmitt romney 31AMPA, Florida: Mitt Romney today officially clinched the Republican Party’s nomination to challenge incumbent US President Barack Obama in the November 6 polls, as his wife made an impassionate appeal to voters telling them “You can trust Mitt.”

Romney, 65, won the nomination as he crossed the support of necessary 1,144 delegates during the ongoing Republican National Convention here. The convention also approved Congressman Paul Ryan as his vice presidential running mate.

Romney’s nomination will become official after he delivers his acceptance speech tomorrow, campaign officials said. He will legally be able to spend money raised for the general-election campaign only after Thursday’s speech.

His wife Anne Romney took the center stage in Tampa to tell her fellow Americans that the country needs him and urged them to give him a chance to lift America.

The elevation of Romney at the Republican National Convention completed his six-year quest to navigate the contours of a changing party.

Romney, former Massachusetts governor, swept into the convention from backstage after watching his wife deliver a deeply personal speech that made a direct appeal to female voters, whom she assured: “You can trust Mitt.”

In a well-choreographed effort led by his wife, Anne said, “This is the man America needs.”

“This is the man who will wake up every day with the determination to solve the problems that others say can’t be solved, to fix what others say is beyond repair. This is the man who will work harder than anyone so that we can work a little less hard,” she said.

“This is our country. This is our future. These are our children and grandchildren. You can trust Mitt. He loves America. He will take us to a better place, just as he took me home safely from that dance. Give him that chance,” Anne said.

Romney arrived for the convention, earlier than scheduled, with his campaign keeping a worried eye on Hurricane Isaac as it made landfall in Louisiana and threatened the Gulf Coast. Earlier, the Rupublican Party termed India a geopolitical ally and strategic trading partner of the US and called for strengthening the working relationship and a renewal of “historic ties” between the two countries.

“We welcome a stronger relationship with the world’s largest democracy, India, both economic and cultural, as well as in terms of national security. We hereby affirm and declare that India is our geopolitical ally and a strategic trading partner,” declared the party’s platform.

Romney is the first Mormon to be nominated as the Republican presidential candidate.

Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement which began with the visions of Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s.

Romney will now contest against Obama in the November polls to occupy the White House as new US president.

Latest opinion polls indicate that Obama and Romney are in a statistical tie with each other.

Meanwhile during the convention, Republican speakers lashed out at President Obama and condemned the policies followed by him during his term as the president.

The mood inside the convention hall was enthusiastic in a ritual way, with delegates cheering as speakers portrayed Obama as hostile to small-business owners, tolerant of increases to the national debt and out of touch with American values.

A soundtrack of Obama’s own words played again and again, trying to use his own statements on the economy against him. -PTI