Romney Calls Himself ‘Severely Conservative’ as Rivals Make Case

Mitt Romney, pushing to retain front-runner status in the Republican presidential race and build credibility with voters who have resisted him, told party activists he was a “severely conservative” governor who would govern that way in the White House.

The former Massachusetts chief executive leads in the hunt for convention delegates while failing to spark passion among the anti-abortion and anti-spending voters who form his party’s backbone. He veered off his prepared script at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington yesterday to drive home his message that he shares the values of those voters.