FACTBOX: Facts about Republican candidate Mitt Romney

(Reuters) - U.S. Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, appealed to Christian conservatives on Saturday to judge him on his record rather than his Mormon religious beliefs.

Here are some facts about Romney:

- Devout Mormon and former bishop of the Massachusetts' temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

- Elected Massachusetts governor in 2002, serving one term. In 1994, he failed to win the U.S. Senate seat in Massachusetts held by Democratic Sen. Edward Kennedy.

- Helped found Bain Capital in 1984, a private equity firm that has backed companies including Staples and Domino's Pizza. Between 1978 and 1984, he served as a vice president at Bain & Company, a management consulting firm. He returned there in the early 1990s as chief executive to help the faltering company.

- Hired to turn around the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, after a bribery and corruption scandal. The Games ultimately were hailed as a success and turned a profit after a large deficit had initially been run up.

- Son of former Michigan Gov. George Romney. Married to Ann, who has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. They have five sons.