Former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is throwing his support behind a Count My Vote initiative in Utah, saying that he prefers direct primaries to caucuses.
"Since the election, I've been pushing hard for states to move to direct primaries," Romney wrote in an email to former Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt,
The Salt Lake Tribune reported. "Caucus/convention systems exclude so many people. They rarely produce a result that reflects how rank-and-file Republicans feel. I think that's true for Democrats, too."
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Romney has long opposed caucuses and has previously said that he supports direct primaries, but the Tribune notes that he has never directly endorsed a Count My Vote direct primary initiative.
The Massachusetts Republican said in an interview with
The Boston Globe that primaries should replace state caucuses and conventions, which have nominated tea party supporters in some cases, because a primary system attracts a broader voter base.
The email to Leavitt was in response to news that Utah's legislature is debating a measure that, if passed, would allow political parties to go around direct primaries, however the vote turns out in November.
"It seems to me if voters use a constitutional process to formally demand a chance to vote on something, the legislature shouldn't interfere," Romney wrote. "I'm especially surprised legislators would interfere with a ballot measure defining how they get elected. It smacks of self-interest and feels very wrong."
The former Massachusetts governor said that his family will sign the petition to get the initiative on the ballot and will also offer financial support.
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