FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 11, 2012
Contact: Anath Hartmann or Elizabeth Ray (703-683-5004)

“We hope our endorsement will help focus social conservatives on the need to defeat President Obama.” —Brian Brown, NOM president—

Washington, D.C. — The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) today announced its endorsement of Mitt Romney for President of the United States. NOM said it was making the endorsement to help focus social conservatives on the need to defeat President Obama in November.

“We are proud to endorse Mitt Romney for President,” said Brian Brown, NOM’s president. “Governor Romney was an early signer of NOM’s presidential pledge which represents his commitment to the nation to take specific actions as president to preserve and protect marriage as the union of one man and one woman.”

Three of the final four Republican candidates for president had signed NOM’s pledge, leaving only Ron Paul as the lone candidate refusing to pledge to defend traditional marriage. NOM’s endorsement of Romney comes on the heels of Rick Santorum suspending his presidential campaign.

“Now is the time for all people who recognize the importance of marriage to come together to support a true champion, Mitt Romney, against an incumbent who has done virtually everything in his power to undermine the institution of marriage,” Brown said. “President Obama has declared our nation’s marriage laws to be unconstitutional and not only has refused to defend them, his administration is actively working to repeal them in the courts. He’s come out against state constitutional amendments defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman. And he has appointed leaders of the same-sex ‘marriage’ movement as national co-chairs of his reelection campaign. Incredibly, Obama still apparently claims to personally support traditional marriage. With friends like President Obama, the institution of marriage doesn’t need enemies.”

NOM’s marriage pledge commits Governor Romney to a variety of actions upon his election as president. These include:

- Supporting an amendment to the United States Constitution defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman;
- Appointing Supreme Court Justices and an Attorney General who will apply the original meaning of the Constitution;
- Vigorously defending the federal Defense of Marriage Act in court;
- Establishing a presidential commission on religious liberty; and
- Advancing legislation to return to the people of the District of Columbia their right to vote on marriage.

“It’s been a hard-fought campaign and we congratulate all the candidates who signed our pledge. Now we look forward to coalescing millions of Americans who passionately believe as we do that God is the author of marriage and that marriage as the union of one man and one woman serves the public good,” Brown said. “We will devote ourselves fully to helping elect a president who will fight for marriage, rather than the incumbent who seems bent on destroying it.”

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To schedule an interview with Brian Brown, President of the National Organization for Marriage, please contact Elizabeth Ray (x130), [email protected], or Anath Hartmann, [email protected], at 703-683-5004.

Paid for by The National Organization for Marriage, Brian Brown, president. 2029 K Street NW, Suite 300 Washington, DC 20006, not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. New § 68A.405(1)(f) & (h).