Facing a fractured Republican Party, presumptive GOP presidential nominee John McCain stressed his fealty to Ronald Reagan on Thursday in an effort to win over conservatives after Mitt Romney dropped out of the presidential race.
McCain made his appeal at the annual meeting in Washington of the Conservative Political Action Conference, an influential coalition of 90 conservative advocacy groups and think tanks.
“I am proud, very proud, to have come to public office as a foot soldier in the Reagan Revolution,” McCain told the crowd, which was filled with supporters and greeted him with cheers. “And if a few of my positions have raised your concern that I have forgotten my political heritage, I want to assure you that I have not.”
Only hours earlier, Romney told the gathering that continuing his campaign “would make it more likely that Senator Clinton or Obama would win. And in this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign be a part of aiding a surrender to terror.”
With Romney’s withdrawal, McCain stands far ahead of his remaining GOP rivals, Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul, a remarkable comeback for a man who was virtually counted out of the race last summer.
McCain supporters at the CPAC meeting, including Sen. Tom Coburn,R-Okla., and former Sen. John Allen of Virginia, highlighted his determination to win the war in Iraq and combat terrorism.
McCain also reminded the crowd of his conservative positions, including his opposition to abortion, gun control and government waste.
Although his speech was met mostly with applause, the crowd booed when he brought up illegal immigration. McCain has taken a softer line than most conservatives, supporting legislation that would provide a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. In his speech Thursday, he pledged to secure the borders before dealing with illegals already in the country.
The crowd applauded loudest when McCain pledged his support of the Iraq war.
“There is no other candidate for this office who appreciates more than I do just how awful war is,” McCain said. “But I know that the costs in lives and treasure we would incur should we fail in Iraq will be far greater than the heartbreaking losses we have suffered to date.”
Some convention attendees said McCain convinced them he would be true to his conservative roots.
“He was honest and admitted his differences,” said Liberty University student Matthew Clark, 20. “But he also pointed out his similarities.”
But others, such as University of Texas student Tony McDonald, 20, were unconvinced. “He’s more dangerous than any Democrat,” McDonald said.
