This will be the last post of AZ for Mitt. Thank you to all of you Romney supporters out there, especially in the Grand Canyon State.

As for November, I cannot vote for McCain in good conscience. I'll still vote for Romney as a write-in candidate.

If there's anything this primary contest has taught me it is that I am a conservative more than I am a Republican. I used to think the two terms were synonymous, but now I know better.

Best wishes.

James

Update: An e-mail from a friend:

Within minutes of hearing that Mitt Romney was ending his bid for the White House I changed my party affiliation to "No Party Preference". Suffice it to say that I do not align myself with the GOP nor any political party. I am instead guided by conservative values that, as you have noticed, are alarmingly lacking from the GOP and all other political parties.

Mitt suspended his campaign today. Here's what he had to say:

"Soon, the face of liberalism in America will have a new name. Whether it is Barack or Hillary, the result would be the same if they were to win the Presidency. The opponents of American culture would push the throttle, devising new justifications for judges to depart from the Constitution. Economic neophytes would layer heavier and heavier burdens on employers and families, slowing our economy and opening the way for foreign competition to further erode our lead.

"Even though we face an uphill fight, I know that many in this room are fully behind my campaign. You are with me all the way to the convention. Fight on, just like Ronald Reagan did in 1976. But there is an important difference from 1976: today, we are a nation at war.

"And Barack and Hillary have made their intentions clear regarding Iraq and the war on terror. They would retreat and declare defeat. And the consequence of that would be devastating. It would mean attacks on America, launched from safe havens that make Afghanistan under the Taliban look like child's play. About this, I have no doubt.

"I disagree with Senator McCain on a number of issues, as you know. But I agree with him on doing whatever it takes to be successful in Iraq, on finding and executing Osama bin Laden, and on eliminating Al Qaeda and terror. If I fight on in my campaign, all the way to the convention, I would forestall the launch of a national campaign and make it more likely that Senator Clinton or Obama would win. And in this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign, be a part of aiding a surrender to terror.

"This is not an easy decision for me. I hate to lose. My family, my friends and our supporters – many of you right here in this room – have given a great deal to get me where I have a shot at becoming President. If this were only about me, I would go on. But I entered this race because I love America, and because I love America, I feel I must now stand aside, for our party and for our country.

"I will continue to stand for conservative principles. I will fight alongside you for all the things we believe in. And one of those things is that we cannot allow the next President of the United States to retreat in the face evil extremism.

"It is the common task of each generation – and the burden of liberty – to preserve this country, expand its freedoms and renew its spirit so that its noble past is prologue to its glorious future.

"To this task, accepting this burden, we are all dedicated, and I firmly believe, by the providence of the Almighty, that we will succeed beyond our fondest hope. America must remain, as it has always been, the hope of the Earth.

"Thank you, and God bless America."

POST-SUPER TUESDAY ANALYSIS

· Super Tuesday proved that this is a very fluid election. Gov. Romney won seven states, including Colorado and Minnesota where Republicans must be competitive in the general election.

· The nomination is by no means settled. Even assuming that McCain reaches 700 delegates once counting finishes in California, he would still need to win 77% of delegates from upcoming states to secure the nomination by April 1.

· Gov. Romney did surprisingly well in several key, battleground states. Gov. Romney won Minnesota despite Sen. McCain have the support of the sitting Republican governor and senator. Gov. Romney also did better than expected in Georgia and Missouri.

· Gov. Romney has received eleven gold medals, eleven silver medals and six bronzes. He is the clear full-spectrum conservative in this race.

Post-Feb. 5:

· On Thursday, Gov. Romney will be at the Conservative Political Action Conference where Gov. Romney will address his vision for the future of the Republican Party and nation.

· After Feb. 5, we expect to be competitive in the Kansas and Washington state caucuses on Feb. 9 and then the Feb. 12 states – Virginia, Maryland, and also Washington, D.C.

· Upcoming states will be fertile ground for Gov. Romney because the two largest states on the primary calendar between today and April 1, Texas and Ohio, are favorable terrain. Texas has a very conservative GOP primary vote and 140 delegates; Ohio's economy is similar to Michigan and the state has 88 delegates.

· Gov. Romney did well in caucus states where we focused our energy and resources. In just a few days, Republican voters will caucus in Kansas (39 delegates, winner-take-all) and Washington (40 delegates, proportional) which promise to be strong states for Gov. Romney.

Conservatives Are Coalescing Behind Governor Romney:

· Once again, Gov. Romney carried conservative voters by wide margins. Nationally, he won conservatives by double-digits, 42%-31% over Sen. McCain.

· Even in states Sen. McCain won, Gov. Romney carried conservative voters. For instance, in California, Gov. Romney won conservatives by six points, 39%-33%. Gov. Romney even won conservatives in McCain's home state of Arizona, 43%-40%.

The Republican Party Is Not Coalescing Behind Sen. McCain And Gov. Huckabee:

· Super Tuesday's results show that Sen. McCain is not the presumptive Republican nominee as he himself had expected.

· Sen. McCain made several campaign mistakes. He spent the last few days campaigning where he was the strongest – New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. He also spent time in Massachusetts where Gov. Romney won comfortably.

· Gov. Huckabee is not expanding his base of support. He overperformed anywhere where there were large numbers of evangelical voters and underperformed wherever there weren't. Gov. Huckabee's lack of support is evident in his underperforming showings in AZ, CA, NJ, NY, CT and MA.

· Gov. Huckabee has lost five states to Ron Paul, including at least three on Super Tuesday.

Rush Limbaugh:

"I think right now Romney probably -- as the campaign has coalesced and as the campaign has progressing on down the highway -- I think the one candidate of the three still out there on our side ... in saying who more closely embodies all three legs of this conservative stool, you'd have to say that it's Mitt Romney. There's actually no choice in the matter. It certainly isn't Senator McCain."

Rush Limbaugh on voting for Huckabee:

"A vote for Huckabee is a vote for McCain."

Sean Hannity: "I'll tell you right now, and I've not announced this, but I will be voting for Mitt Romney in this campaign. It's the first time I've stated it publicly. I'll state it now." ("Sean Hannity Radio Show," 1/31/08)

Rick Santorum: "In a few short days, Republicans from across this country will decide more than their party's nominee. They will decide the very future of our party and the conservative coalition that Ronald Reagan built. Conservatives can no longer afford to stand on the sidelines in this election, and Governor Romney is the candidate who will stand up for the conservative principles that we hold dear," said Senator Santorum. "Governor Romney has a deep understanding of the important issues confronting our country today, and he is the clear conservative candidate that can go into the general election with a united Republican party."

Laura Ingraham: "All right, I'm going to see your endorsement and raise you an announcement: February 12th is the big D.C. primary, I'm pulling the lever for Mitt Romney. No doubt about it. No hesitation." ("The Laura Ingraham Show," 2/1/08)
To listen to Laura Ingraham, please see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnXDJHUE_VQ

Lars Larson: "It's time for the GOP to pick a real Republican standard bearer. I've been keeping my powder dry on this question for months till I had the chance to talk to all of the potential nominees. I've done that now, and I'm left with only one conclusion. Governor Mitt Romney is the best choice for 2008." ("The Lars Larson Show," 2/1/08)
To listen to Lars Larson, please see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5op8PIq62Ao

McCain, Huckabee Worst Picks for Evangelicals
Contact: Rev. Schenck, 703-447-7686
MEDIA ADVISORY, Feb. 4 /Christian Newswire/ -- The Reverend Rob Schenck (pronounced SHANK), in his capacity as a private citizen, today released this statement regarding tomorrow's primary votes:
"I have spent the last 33 years as an active evangelical Christian. I am an ordained evangelical minister. I graduated from an evangelical Bible college and an evangelical seminary. I serve on the board of America's oldest association of evangelical church leaders, and I head one of the most active evangelical ministries in Washington, DC.
"I have thought long and hard about the upcoming elections. I have prayed earnestly about them, and I have met many of the candidates and their top campaign people and I have studied their platforms and policy proposals.
"After careful and prayerful consideration, I have concluded that an evangelical vote for Mike Huckabee is a vote for John McCain, and a vote for John McCain will be a disaster for this country.
"Let me explain. It's clear to me and many others that Mike Huckabee is not broadening his appeal enough to win the primary. Therefore, his only contribution is to siphon off votes, giving McCain a clear path to victory. It's very possible Huckabee is being positioned to be John McCain's pick for vice president. In order to win, McCain needs Mike Huckabee and the evangelical votes he brings with him. The specter of a McCain-Huckabee ticket is bad for evangelicals.

To read more click here.

Romney's latest web ad:

ANNOUNCER: "Is John McCain really the heart and soul of the Republican Party?

"Imagine a debate between McCain and Hillary Clinton.

"On amnesty for illegal immigrants, they agree.

"On voting against President Bush's tax cuts, they agree.

"On imposing an additional 50 cents a gallon cost on gasoline: they agree.

"On blocking conservative judges, they agree.

"Even Bill Clinton says?"

FORMER PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON: "'She and John McCain are very close.'"

ANNOUNCER: "Don't we need a leader who agrees with conservatives?"

GOVERNOR MITT ROMNEY: "I'm Mitt Romney and I approved this message."

To watch "Very Close," please see: http://tv.mittromney.com/?showid=730826

I received this e-mail from John McCain's campaign today:

Like me, Mike Christian was shot down and captured in Vietnam. As his cellmate, I watched as Mike began to collect little scraps of red, white and blue cloth, and with a needle fashioned from a splinter of bamboo, he sewed an American flag on the inside of his blue prison shirt. Every afternoon, my fellow POWS and I would recite the Pledge of Allegiance to Mike's flag. No other event of the day held as much meaning for us.

The prison guards soon discovered Mike's flag - an offense for which he was beaten severely. Mike was returned to our cell and we helped him to the bare mattress in the room. After a few moments, with Mike still bloodied, broken and eyes nearly swollen shut, we watched in awe as he gathered his scraps of cloth and started sewing another American flag.

We must never forget those Americans who, with their courage, with their sacrifice, and with their lives, have protected our right to vote.

Please vote in the Arizona Primary on Tuesday, February 5th.

It clearly illustrates the difference between Mitt Romney and John McCain. Romney is all about the future, about an optimistic vision of solving America's challenges and opening up new opportunities. McCain is about the past. I can't say I've heard him articulate a vision of the future, and I have know idea what his plans are to deal with illegal immigration, the economy, traditional family values or any number of key issues. Do you?

Tomorrow is either a vote for the future or a vote for the past. I pick the future.

Conservatives, here is Mitt Romney (hat tip Elect Romney Blog).

"Unlike some other candidates in the race, Romney is a full-spectrum conservative: a supporter of free-market economics and limited government, moral causes such as the right to life and the preservation of marriage, and a foreign policy based on the national interest.” – National Review (Editorial, “Romney For President,” National Review, 12/11/07)

Conservatives, here is John McCain.

Today, The Washington Post Revealed Sen. McCain Is Not Interested In Social Issues:
Sen. McCain: “It’s Not Social Issues I Care About.” “McCain seems distinctly uninterested when asked questions concerning abortion and gay rights. While campaigning in South Carolina, he told reporters riding with him on his bus that he was comfortable pledging to appoint judges who would strictly interpret the Constitution in part because it would reassure conservatives who might otherwise distrust him. ‘It’s not social issues I care about,’ he explained.” (Juliet Eilperin and Michael D. Shear, “Contenders Highlight GOP’s Ideological Struggle,” The Washington Post, 2/3/08)

Others Have Noted That McCain Doesn’t Care About Social Issues:
A Former McCain Aide Previously Said “His Heart Isn’t In This Stuff.” “‘Yes, he’s a social conservative, but his heart isn’t in this stuff,’ one former aide told me, referring to McCain’s instinctual unwillingness to impose on others his personal views about issues such as religion, sexuality, and abortion.” (Todd S. Purdum, “Prisoner Of Conscience,” Vanity Fair, 2/07)

- Former McCain Aide: “But He Has To Pretend [That It Is], And He’s Not A Good Enough Actor To Pull It Off. He Just Can’t Fake It Well Enough.” (Todd S. Purdum, “Prisoner Of Conscience,” Vanity Fair, 2/07)

Sen. McCain Tries To “Placate” Conservatives. “Will McCain’s understandable effort to bend a little here and bow a little there to placate the most conservative elements of his party, who play a disproportionate role in the nominating process get him all twisted up before he ever gets to face the general electorate that polls suggest admires him so?” (Todd S. Purdum, “Prisoner Of Conscience,” Vanity Fair, 2/07)

Couple Sen. McCain’s Lack Of Interest In Social Issues With His Lack Of Understanding Economics:
Sen. McCain: “The Issue Of Economics Is Not Something I’ve Understood As Well As I Should.” “Like Mike Huckabee, who joked recently that he ‘may not be the expert that some people are on foreign policy, but I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night,’ McCain suggested to reporters Monday that American consumer culture offered a short cut to expertise. ‘The issue of economics is not something I’ve understood as well as I should,’ McCain said. ‘I’ve got Greenspan’s book.’” (Sasha Issenberg, “McCain: It’s About The Economy,” The Boston Globe, www.boston.com, Posted 12/18/07)

- Sen. McCain: “I Still Need To Be Educated.” “On a broader range of economic issues, though, Mr. McCain readily departs from Reaganomics. His philosophy is best described as a work in progress. He is refreshingly blunt when he tells me: ‘I’m going to be honest: I know a lot less about economics than I do about military and foreign policy issues. I still need to be educated.’” (Stephen Moore, “Reform, Reform, Reform,” OpinionJournal.com, 11/26/05)

Here's the latest poll for Arizona:

43%--McCain
34%--Romney
9%--Huckabee
7%--Paul

As Rush Limbaugh has said, a vote for Huckabee (and I would add Paul) is a vote for McCain. Romney could win Arizona if enough conservatives switch from Huckabee and Paul to Romney.

It's your choice Arizona.

Mitt won Maine by a huge margain:

52%--Romney
21%--McCain
19%--Paul
6%--Huckabee

And no, there aren't very many Mormons in Maine (only 10,000 out of over 1.3 million, or less than 1%).

He's now only five delegates behind McCain:

97--McCain
92--Romney
29--Huckabee

And he's pulling away from McCain in California according to Zogby:

40%--Romney
32%--McCain
12%--Huckabee
5%--Paul

Despite the mainstream media's McCain push, Romney is still tied with McCain in the latest national poll coming out today:

30%--Romney
30%--McCain
21%--Huckabee

Maine for Mitt!

Early results in the Republican caucuses showed former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney leading Sen. John McCain and dark-horse candidate Rep. Ron Paul by a wide margin.

With just over 12 percent of Maine precincts reporting, Romney had 53.2 percent of the vote, with Paul in a distant second at 20.6 percent and McCain at 18.3 percent. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee was fourth at 5.2 percent.

There comes a rare opportunity, maybe once in a generation if we're lucky, to elect someone of both high morals and high ability. Usually candidates are medicore at best in both of these categories. This chance may not come again for most of us. The time is now for Mitt Romney and for America. Use your voice and vote to make a difference this Tuesday.

While maybe disappointed, I hope that none of you are discouraged over the GOP primary race right now. While some in the media think that it's over and McCain has all but won, I thought I would provide some perspective.

The current delegate count is McCain 97 and Romney 74 (althought some have it slightly different). To win a candidate must get 1,191 delegates. In other words, McCain needs 1,094 more delegates and Romney 1,117 more delegates.

To put that in more concrete terms, if McCain and Romney were spiders climbing your living room wall, trying to be the first to the ceiling, McCain would still be less than 8 inches from the floor, with Romney about one and three-quarter inches behind him with over 7 feet still to climb. The race is far from over.

In fact, while liberal Republicans have endorsed McCain this week--Rudy Giuliani and Arnold Schwarzeneggar--conservatives such as former Senator Rick Santorum and talk-show host Sean Hannity have endorsed Romney. And in a blow to former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, the Arkansas Republican Assembley has endorsed Romney over their former governor.

Romney is a turnaround artist, and conservatives are beginning to realize the nightmare of a McCain nomination. Still, a big push is needed before next Tuesday, and here's how you can help (from an e-mail from the campaign):

"The calls you make that connect you to voters could put Mitt over the top, they could mean the difference in determining our next president. Please join us during all or some of the following times by emailing "I want to win" to CallatHome@MittRomney.com.
Saturday, 1-10pm EST
Sunday, 1-8pm EST
Monday, Noon-11pm EST
We are calling so late because we will be calling states in other time zones. We will not call Eastern states after 8pm at night.
We’ve had groups signing up on our website and offering to help from San Diego, California, to Dallas, Texas, to Southern New Jersey, and tagging themselves as everything from Mensans to FredHeads to Grocery Store Owners to Cosmetologists for Mitt. Thousands of new contributors have flooded to the web to pledge their support in the form of a financial contribution.

All of this demonstrates the widespread support for Governor Romney and shows he’s the candidate who can unite the Republican Party and our nation.
Please join us be emailing "I want to win" to CallatHome@MittRomney.com.
Thanks,The Romney for President Team

P.S. If you are unable to make calls but want to support the Call at Home program, please consider making a contribution of $250, $100, $50, $25, or any amount you can afford to go directly to buying more Call at Home minutes. Or even if you plan to make calls, you may make a contribution to keep this program going."

Now, I strongly discourage you from making calls on Sunday. And even if you can only donate $5 or $10, every dollar means more television ads can be run. Additionally, you can contact family and friends in states that are having their primary next Tuesday and tell them why you support Romney. Here's the list of states: New York, Missouri, Arizona, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, Utah, Montana, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Illinois, Tennessee, Alabama, Colorado, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Alaska, and North Dakota.

You can even have a personalized Mitt Romney recorded message phoned to someone. It will say their name (not all names are recorded) and you can personalize it to the issue most important to them (you get to hear it before it's sent in case you don't like it or want to change it). To check this feature out go to http://romney.varitalk.com/

We can make a difference.