2012 Race

Mitt Romney will no longer be called the "presumptive" GOP presidential nominee after Tuesday's Texas primary, which will enable him to secure the 1,144 delegates required to clinch the official title.

While Texas has 155 delegates to offer, the former Massachusetts governor requires just 60 more to reach the threshold, according to The Associated Press tally.

After a long roller coaster ride with other GOP candidates threatening his nomination, Romney's campaign will now focus on defeating President Barack Obama in November. Most Republicans are now rallying behind the candidate. more >>

Presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney shared the stage with his 2008 presidential campaign rival Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) today at the Veterans Museum and Memorial Center in San Diego, where they observed Memorial Day and Romney spoke about the need for a strong U.S. military.

Romney noted the threats posed by Iran and its nuclear ambition; China and its military superpower aspiration; and Mexico and its drug-related violence, and said that the U.S. has chosen to maintain a strong military not only to win wars, but to prevent them.

"Because a strong America is the best deterrent to war that ever has been invented," Romney said to a crowd of some 5,000 people, the Los Angeles Times reported. more >>

Newt Gingrich, the one-time front-runner in the 2012 Republican primary, says he forgives the party's presumptive nominee for running hard-hitting ads against him earlier this year.

"Mitt Romney did what he had to do to become the nominee," Gingrich told Chris Matthews on MSNBC's "Hardball" on Thursday. "He's worked at this for six years … When he got to the crunch, he was tough enough and smart enough to beat me in Florida."

When Matthews asked Gingrich if the accusations Romney aimed at him were true, he said "no." more >>

Personhood USA, a pro-life movement seeking to establish rights for unborn babies, is maintaining its position that GOP front-runner Mitt Romney holds a dubious record on abortion. The group believes Romney's actions as governor are evidence that he did not defend the unborn to the full extent of his power.

Responding to a debate over how much control Romney had over pro-abortion bills that were approved while he was governor of Massachusetts between 2003 and 2007, Keith Ashley, a spokesman of Personhood USA, shared with The Christian Post:

"As chief executive of a co-equal branch of state government, Governor Romney was not forced by any court or legislature to sign Romneycare into law with tax-funded abortion. He utilized the veto power eight times in his health care reform bill, but not to defend life. He should have vetoed the abortion section, but even if he had not, he should never have reinterpreted the court's ruling to mean a blanket coverage of all abortion," Ashley shared while providing a link to the 2006 law. more >>

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee will be honoring retiring member Rep. Barney Frank (Mass.) next week for the 25th anniversary of his "coming out of the closet" as an openly gay congressman.

The DCCC is organizing the fundraiser hosted by Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), the House Minority Leader, and DCCC Chairman Steve Israel (N.Y.) at a restaurant in Washington, D.C., according to USA Today. Tickets for the May 30 Democratic fundraising event start at $100 for individuals and go up to $5000 for PACs.

"Barney is an inspiration to all of us as one of the first openly gay congressmen to serve in the House," his openly gay colleague Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) wrote in an email sent by the DCCC. "This event will be particularly moving for me as it will be one of our last events with him before he retires this year." more >>

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell said Wednesday in an interview with CNN that he supports same-sex marriage. However, he has yet to signal his support for President Obama, whom he endorsed in 2008.

"I have no problem with it," Powell told CNN when asked about same-sex marriage.

"In terms of the legal matter of creating a contract between two people that's called marriage, and allowing them to live together with the protection of law, it seems to me is the way we should be moving in this country." more >>