Mitt in Denver to boost McCain

Republican Mitt Romney, still seen as a top contender for his party's vice-presidential nomination, will be campaigning in the shadow of the Democratic National Convention in Denver today on behalf of the GOP.

Romney is one of several well-known Republicans going to Colorado during this week's Democratic convention to stump for the GOP's presumptive presidential nominee, Sen. John McCain of Arizona.

Today, Romney will speak at a luncheon for reporters sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor and later, at a press conference at the Republican National Committee's "Not Ready '08 Response Center," set up about a mile from the Democrats' gathering.

Romney's appearances, announced Monday by his own "Free & Strong America" Political Action Committee, come after a group of evangelical conservatives asked McCain to choose a vice president more in line with their values than Romney.

The informal group of about 100 of the nation's evangelical Christian leaders met last month in Denver to talk about getting behind McCain, who has had problems with the conservative wing of his party.

They ended up backing former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, a Baptist minister, for vice president, according to meeting organizer Mathew Staver, founder of the conservative Liberty Counsel and dean of the Liberty University School of Law in Lynchburg, Va.

Staver told the Deseret News that while Romney was not discussed at the meeting as a potential pick, he and other evangelicals question his conservative credentials while some also have concerns about his Mormon faith.

Romney has been accused of becoming more conservative on abortion and other issues in recent years for political purposes. His member- ship in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is at issue because some evangelicals don't see him as a fellow Christian.

"There are going to be some that will have a lot of turmoil with a Romney vice presidency because of his religious views but also because he is not consistent," Staver said, in his pro-life and pro-family beliefs.

McCain isn't expected to announce his pick for the No. 2 spot on the GOP ticket until Friday at the earliest, after the Democrats formally nominate Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois as their presidential candidate and Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware as his running mate.

Much of the speculation over McCain's choice centers on Romney. A blogger for Time reported last week that McCain had settled on Romney, but the report was later removed from the magazine's Web site.

According to Politico.com, McCain is going to hold a rally at a baseball stadium in the St. Louis area on Sunday with both Romney and Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor, by his side. The online political news source suggested that meant Romney was indeed McCain's choice.

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