This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Mitt's wife steals the show. Mia Love says Obama is dividing America. 69 days to the election.
Happy Wednesday. Ann Romney had full command of the convention crowd as she talked about Mitt Romney's softer side, but also her fervent belief that if elected he wouldn't let America down. [Trib] [DPost] [CBSNews] [FoxNews] [WaPost]
-> And one columnist said Ann Romney may have been too good, too comfortable, too in command and by comparison make her husband look stiff. [NYTimes]
Topping the news: Republicans officially nominated Romney for president, caping a six-year campaign and cementing him as the party's leader. Also of note, he's the first Mormon to win a presidential nomination from a major party. [WaPost] [CBSNews] [CNN] [Reuters] [Politico] [NYTimes]
-> Utah delegates cast their 40 votes to Romney and call him the state's "favorite adopted son." [Trib]
-> Mia Love said President Barack Obama is dividing America, but that Romney can put it back together, in her big convention speech that referenced Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. [Trib] [WSJ] [Fox13] [WaPost] [Herald] [DNews] [UtahPolicy] Here is the video shown before Love's short appearance. [RNC]
Tweets of the day: From @LivelyAnnie: "Mia Love - A black woman who's a Republican Mayor in Utah running for Congress, born to Haitian immigrants & is a Mormon?! mind blown."
From @mattyglesias: "Mia Love is sure to deliver the Haitian-American Mormon vote for Romney."
Happy Birthday: to Todd Thorpe, Utah GOP Chairman Thomas Wright and vote-by-mail guru Adam Piner.
GOP Convention: Rep. Jason Chaffetz tells the convention audience: "Our nation isn't just one good tax increase away from prosperity." [Trib] [DNews] [KCPW] [UtahPolicy]
-> As the keynote speaker, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said respect is more important than love and that the big challenges are insurmountable if a politician, like Romney, is willing to tell the hard truths. [APviaGlobe] [BergenRecord] [NYTimes]
-> Republicans approved a party platform that in some respects is more conservative than in the past and especially on abortion is more conservative than Romney. [AP] The GOP's platform has shifted drastically throughout the decades. [WaPost]
-> Paul Rolly applauds the Utah delegates for their charitable act for the potential hurricane victims. [Trib]
-> Delegates are entertained by Mia Love and a story about her gun at yesterday's breakfast. [Trib] [DNews]
-> Can Love be the catalyst for more black Americans becoming Republicans? [Politico]
-> Big donors are schmoozing the politicians in Tampa, including a group linked to Nu Skin, whose vice president, Steven Lund, who donated $2 million to a pro-Romney super PAC. [AP]
-> Texas Senate candidate Ted Cruz says that a Biden convention appearance would be good for the GOP. [Trib]
-> Paul Ryan is pouring a lot into what to this point is the most important speech of his life. [NYTimes]
-> Ron Paul delegates get shut down but still make a ruckus from the floor of the convention. [Trib]
-> Chaffetz says the Ron Paul protestors were expected and he hopes they are finished. [WaPost]
-> Romney will address the convention crowd remotely on Wednesday night, in a back and forth with Sen. John McCain about veterans. [APviaWaPost]
-> Many of the delegates are more enthused with Ryan than with Romney. [NYDaily]
-> Utah AG Mark Shurtleff writes from the convention floor. [UtahPolicy]
-> West Valley City Mayor Mike Winder name drops everyone he ran into during the first major day of the convention. [UtahPolicy]
In other news: While Love took the stage in Tampa, Rep. Jim Matheson and the Democrats were going after her back in Utah. [Trib] [DNews] And that includes a new tough ad from a Democratic super PAC. [Trib]
-> Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill holds a private fundraiser in Salt Lake City amidst the Todd Akin debacle. [Trib]
-> Sen. Orrin Hatch answers media questions about his Senate plans, Akin's run and the religious beliefs he shares with Mitt Romney. [WaPost]
-> The Obama campaign officially opens up a Salt Lake City office. [Trib]
-> A new state ethics panel is about to get formed and the governmental bodies from the cities to the state are getting prepared. [Trib]
-> The fraud case against a former Provo City Council member is politically motivated, his attorney alleges. [DNews]
-> Former Rep. Merrill Cook brings his immigration initiative to court. [Trib]
-> Can illegal immigrants become lawyers? Judges? No. [KSL]
2012 watch: Obama reaches out to college voters as he counters the GOP convention message. [WSJ] [ABCNews]
-> Gov. Nikki Haley, the first female governor of South Carolina, insists that minorities are open to the Republican Party's message, contrary to what democrats would have them believe. [USAToday]
-> A new super PAC ad features a former "disillusioned" Romney supporter and small business owner in Massachusetts. [Globe]
-> What worked in 1980 is not guaranteed to work today. Romney runs risks when modeling or comparing his campaign to Ronald Reagan's. [LATimes]
Where are they?
Sens. Orrin Hatch and Mike Lee, Reps. Rob Bishop and Jason Chaffetz, Gov. Gary Herbert, AG Mark Shurtleff and many other top Utah Republicans are in Tampa for the convention.
SLC Mayor Ralph Becker continues his tour of art performing art centers in Durham, North Carolina.
SL Co. Mayor Peter Corroon will attend a ceremony to honor Judge Ray Uno.
President Barack Obama travels to Virginia and holds a campaign event at the nTelos Wireless Pavilion in Charlottesville.
Got a tip? A birthday, wedding or anniversary to announce? Email us at cornflakes@sltrib.com. If you haven't already, sign up for our weekday email and get this sent directly to you inbox. [Trib]
— Matt Canham and Betsy Blanchard Twitter.com/mattcanham and Twitter.com/betsyblanchard