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Mitt Romney has a background in business and government, a resume he believes makes him the best Republican candidate for the 2012 presidential election. Before he was governor of Massachusetts (2003-2007), he was the CEO of Bain & Company. He left Bain & Company to co-found and head Bain Capital, a highly profitable private equity investment firm. As governor, Romney eliminated a $3 billion deficit and signed into law the Massachusetts health care reform legislation, the first of its kind in the nation.

Romney unsuccessfully ran for the Republican candidacy in the 2008 election, falling short to Sen. John McCain. That election left many conservatives wary of Romney's convictions and his Mormon faith, a skepticism Romney still faces. He has swayed further right since his governorship, but the similarities between the Massachusetts health care legislation and the health care program presented by the Obama administration worry many conservatives. 

Romney's platform, as his website states, is that the country has "a moral responsibility not to spend more than we take in." Romney seeks to encourage economic growth on the principles of hard work, free enterprise and innovation. 

Romney was initially thought to have won the Iowa caucus, but due to a miscount, Rick Santorum edged him out by 34 votes. However, with eight precincts missing votes, the Republican Party has declined to announce a winner. Romney did win the New Hampshire primary. With the Republican race so close, Romney is looking past this weekend's South Carolina primary, as Newt Gingrich and Santorum battle. If the more conservative members of the GOP remain split between Gingrich and Santorum, Romney will be the Republican candidate.