Mitt Romney possible presidential campaign, 2016/Federalism

	; ; Possible presidential candidate; Mitt Romney
	Political offices: ; Republican presidential nominee; (2012); Governor of Massachusetts; (2003-2007);
	Date he announced he would not run: ; January 30, 2015
	Romney on the issues:
	Taxes • Government regulations • International trade • Budgets • Agricultural subsidies • Federal assistance programs • Foreign affairs • Federalism • Natural resources • Healthcare • Immigration • Education • Abortion • Gay rights
	Possible Republicans:
	Chris Christie • Nikki Haley • Mike Huckabee • Bobby Jindal • Peter King • Mike Pence • Rick Perry • Brian Sandoval • Scott Walker
	Ballotpedia's presidential election coverage; 2028 • 2024 • 2020 • 2016

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This page was current as of the 2016 election.

During a speech at the National Rifle Association's convention in 2012, Mitt Romney criticized President Barack Obama's view of the Supreme Court and the Constitution. He said, "Judicial review requires that the Supreme Court strike down any law that violates the Constitution - the founding document that is the bulwark of our freedoms. But President Obama seems to believe that Court decisions are only legitimate when they rule in his favor, and illegitimate if they don't. He thinks our nation's highest court is to be revered and respected - as long as it remains faithful to the original intent of Barack Obama. That's the problem with those who view the Constitution as living and evolving, not timeless and defining. They never explain just who will decide what the Constitution means and in which way it will 'evolve.' In his first term, we've seen the president try to browbeat the Supreme Court. In a second term, he would remake it. Our freedoms would be in the hands of an Obama Court, not just for four years, but for the next 40. That must not happen."^[1]

Although Mitt Romney supported the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, he said, "I'm not wild about the idea of corporations making political contributions as a concept," according to International Business Times.^[2]

During Romney's 2012 campaign, he expressed his opposition to super PACs, according to The Daily Beast. During a debate, he said, "We all would like to have super PACs disappear, to tell you the truth … I think this has to change."^[3]

In 2004, Mitt Romney signed a bill that imposed a permanent ban on "assault weapons" in Massachusetts. After signing the bill, he said, "Deadly assault weapons have no place in Massachusetts. These guns are not made for recreation or self-defense. They are instruments of destruction with the sole purpose of hunting down and killing people."^[4]

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