Mitt Romney

Romney’s proposals for creating jobs and growing the economy include cutting the top corporate income tax, eliminating the capital gains and dividend taxes for some people, ending regulations on business, promoting domestic energy production, and weakening labor unions. The former head of the Bain Capital private equity firm says his business experience gives him an advantage over other Republicans and Obama in the quest to create jobs for the sluggish U.S. economy.

Romney supports establishing a system to ensure that employers hire only legal immigrants and building up a border fence with Mexico.

Romney has said Occupy Wall Street protestors are looking for “scapegoats to attack,” and that pinning the blame for economic malaise on Wall Street is the “wrong way to go.” “I think it’s dangerous, this class warfare,” he said while campaigning in Florida. Regarding the Tea Party, Romney has said that if it is “for keeping government small and spending down and helping us create jobs, then hey, I'm for the tea party."

Romney would boost domestic energy production and streamline industry regulations to open up territory, on- and off-shore, for development. He would pursue energy development partnerships in Canada and Mexico and would make weaning the US off of imported energy from the Middle East a priority over reducing carbon emissions.

At the annual "Values Voter Summit," Romney said he would oppose marriage rights for homosexuals and seek to overturn Roe v. Wade. He's viewed skeptically by some conservatives for his past support for abortion rights and gay rights.

Romney proposes reform, but long-term solvency, for social programs like Medicare and Social Security.

Romney would cut federal spending and reform entitlement programs. He would reduce the size and reach of the federal government and work toward balancing the budget.

Romney would impose tougher sanctions on Iran to keep it from building nuclear weapons. He wants China declared a currency manipulator and says he would reverse defense spending cuts and take a more aggressive approach to U.S. diplomacy. The United States, he says, should bring troops home from Afghanistan as soon as possible, but only with the approval of military commanders. He would reverse defense spending cuts and spend more on missile defense. He favors an assertive approach toward China, maintaining a strong military presence in the Pacific to ensure open trade routes are maintained, and identifies China and Russia as nations with growing ambitions that must be watched carefully, along with Iran, Pakistan, North Korea and Venezuela.