A tea party-affiliated news organization announced Friday that it will not be endorsing Republican Mitt Romney in the presidential race because they aren’t convinced he’s conservative enough.
In a Friday news release touting its “editorial endorsement for the 2012 presidential race,” the Tea Party News Network said it supports “None of the above.”
“We considered an endorsement of Governor Mitt Romney, but concluded that his record raises too many questions about the level of his commitment to conservative principles and limited government,” said Todd Cefaratti, editor of the Tea Party News Network.
Cefaratti also said the newly-formed news organization is “convinced that four more years of an Obama presidency would be disastrous for this country’s economy and for the cause of small government.”
“We have kept track of the promises made by both President Obama and Mitt Romney,” Scottie Nell Hughes, a member of the editorial board said. “Neither has yet convinced us that they truly will bring the kind of revolutionary changes to Washington that the Tea Party has demanded.”
The news organization’s qualms with Romney include “his movement away from across the board tax relief, recent refusal to stand behind comments to reform FEMA and return more control to local governments, and a top aides notorious ‘Etch-A-Sketch’ comment in regard to Romney campaign promises.”
Cefaratti vowed that if Romney is elected, the news organization will serve as a check to make sure Romney governs as a conservative.
“Starting on day one of a Romney administration, as with the Obama administration, we’ll be vigilant watchdogs for the Tea Party and for the conservatives across the country,” he said.