Romney in 2002: “My views are progressive”

Is it possible that Romney had a wide-ranging transformation from “progressive” to conservative? Of course it is; it happens quite a bit.

Hey, we get it. Republicans don’t win office in Massachusetts by proclaiming themselves as Ronald Reagan conservatives. When running for governor in 2002, Romney needed to sell himself as a Republican that represented the mainstream of liberal Massachusetts, which is why he told reporters in this clip that he was a “moderate” Republican who was “not a partisan,” and that “my views are progressive.” He told them what he needed in order to win the election.

The question is whether that was his strategy then and he was a secret conservative all along, or whether that’s his strategy today and he’s really a progressive:

Mitt Romney in Worcester 2002 "My views are progressive"



Mitt Romney speaks to reporters after a campaign stop in Worcester, MA in 2002.