Iowa
State
Sen.
Kent
Sorenson Endorses Ron Paul for President
Former
Iowa chairman for U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann pivots to Paul camp
citing, “Ron Paul has established himself as the clear choice.”
ANKENY,
Iowa – 2012 Republican Presidential candidate Ron
Paul was endorsed today by Iowa State Senator Kent Sorenson
(R-Indianola) in a major pivot that promises to give Paul extra
momentum in the run-up to the January 3, 2012 Iowa Caucus.
In making his endorsement Sen. Sorenson
is leaving his post as Iowa chairman for U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann’s
presidential campaign here. The resignation and endorsement take
effect immediately.
“Congressman Paul is delighted to accept the endorsement of Senator
Kent Sorenson,
whose blessing and assistance carry a great deal weight in Iowa.
The
fact that he doesn’t take this decision lightly tells a great deal
about the Senator and Ron Paul. This endorsement is a rare find
and we
hope it pushes us nearer to our goal of a strong top-three finish at
the January caucus,” said Ron Paul 2012 National Campaign Chairman
Jesse Benton.
Kent Sorenson was
elected to the Iowa Senate in 2011 and represents District 37 after
serving in the Iowa House of Representatives from 2009 to 2011,
representing District 74. The senator is a member of several
committees including the Judiciary, Natural Resources and Environment,
and State Government committees. He is also the ranking member of
both
the Senate and Joint Oversight Committees and a member of the Advisory
Council for Agricultural Education, the Family Development and
Self-Sufficiency Council, and the Human Rights Board.
Senator Sorenson
has been leader in the fight in defense of traditional family values,
the sanctity of life, and a restoration of Second Amendment rights.
The full endorsement statement from Senator Sorenson
follows.
Sorenson Statement
The decision I am making today is one of the most difficult I have made
in my life. But given what's at stake for our country, I have
decided
I must take this action.
Today, I am switching my support from Michele Bachmann to Ron Paul for
the 2012 Iowa Caucuses and the presidency of the United States.
I still maintain an immense amount of respect for Michele. The
reasons
are many. She’s never betrayed conservatives on issues like
taxes, the
Right to Life, and the Second Amendment. So over the past few
months,
I have been saddened at the dismissive way she's been treated among
some conservatives especially after winning the Iowa Straw Poll.
But the fact is, there is a clear top tier in the race for the
Republican nomination for President, both here in Iowa and
nationally.
Ron Paul is easily the most conservative of this group.
The truth is, it was an excruciatingly difficult decision for me to
decide between supporting Michele Bachmann and Ron Paul at the
beginning of this campaign. Dr. Paul and his supporters were a
major
help in my successful campaigns for Iowa House and Senate even when I
couldn’t count on the support of the Republican establishment here in
Iowa.
Of course, battling the establishment is nothing new for Dr. Paul or
for myself. During my time in the General Assembly, I’ve
established
myself as a leader in the fights for traditional marriage, the Right to
Life, and the protection of the Second Amendment – sometimes even
against the wishes of my own party.
Since my election, I’ve learned that doing the right thing isn’t always
easy. It’s easy to see why so many legislators “sell out” once
elected. The pressure to do so is immense.
But what America needs now is a President who will not just “go along
to get along.” Instead, we must send someone who puts doing what
is
right above all else to the White House. That candidate is Ron
Paul.
Ron Paul is the only candidate to predict the current mess we find
ourselves in economically, and he's the only candidate to offer a true
plan to cut spending and balance our budget.
He's also consistently spoken out against government spending, assaults
on individual liberties, and unnecessary trillion-dollar military
adventurism for over 30 years. Polls show he is the Republican
candidate that can take on and defeat President Obama in November 2012.
Like all true conservatives, I wholeheartedly agree with Ron Paul that
government is too big, and both parties share in the blame. We
agree
that it is immoral to print money and pass on mounds of debt to the
next generation. We agree that life begins at conception and must
be
protected. We both believe that the Second Amendment must be
defended
unwaveringly, and that there are too many wars being fought with no end
in sight and no obvious path to a defined victory.
Of course, as a state legislator, I recognize that Dr. Paul's strong
views on the 10th Amendment will enable me to fight for what I believe
in right in my own backyard instead of having to constantly wait on
one-size-fits-all "solutions" from Washington, D.C.
With the entire Republican establishment intent on smearing Ron Paul
and his dedicated supporters, I understand this decision could impact
the way people see me and my entire political career. But this is
the
right decision, and one in which I proudly stand behind.
To the truly wonderful people I met on the Bachmann campaign, I look
forward to working with them in the future as we further the fights for
the Right to Life, traditional marriage, and the restoration of our
Second Amendment rights here in Iowa. I personally wish her
all the
best as she continues to battle in Congress.
As for conservatives who are rightly concerned with defeating
establishment Republicans Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and – even more
importantly – Barack Obama in 2012, Ron Paul has established himself as
the clear choice.
If you are as frustrated as I am with what's been done by the ruling
class, I urge you to join me in supporting Dr. Paul. We can send
the
national big government political establishment a message they will
never forget by voting for Ron Paul for President in the January 3 Iowa
Caucuses.