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WASHINGTON - Five years ago, Mitt Romney harnessed his business talent to turn a scandal-tarred Olympic Games into a success before the eyes of the world. On Tuesday, Romney called on that business savvy, his Olympic turnaround and his one term as Massachusetts governor to pitch his campaign for the White House.
Romney, 59, officially announced his candidacy Tuesday to an elated crowd gathered a few miles from his birthplace of Detroit. It marks the sixth campaign by a Mormon for the presidency, and his formal entrance in the race is sure to draw the largest spotlight on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City.
On Tuesday, Romney took the stage at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Mich., flanked by a new Ford hybrid and an American Motor Co. Rambler made famous by Romney's father, George Romney. Mitt Romney called for a new "American dream" and for a "time of innovation and transformation in Washington."
"How will this new American dream be built?" Romney asked. "Our hopes and dreams will inspire us, for we are an optimistic people. But hope alone is just crossing fingers, when what we need is industrious hands. It is time for hope and action. It is time to do, as well as to dream."
Romney is the first GOP front-runner in the race to formally announce, and he defined himself as a Beltway outsider, but one with ideas and executive experience.
"We have lost faith in government, not in just one party, not in just one house, but in government," Romney said. "It is time for innovation and transformation in Washington. It is what our country needs. It is what our people deserve."
Several Utahns were at the announcement rally, including developer and Romney friend Kem Gardner, Park City businessman Bill Johnson, Park City rancher Chris Robison and home developer Ron Ferrin. All flew in on a private jet, owned by Utahn and meat packing executive John Miller, and were headed on to Iowa on Tuesday with Romney.
Romney wrote every bit of his 20-minute speech, said Gardner, adding that Romney looked "self-assured and confident."
After the speech, Gardner and Romney talked for some 20 minutes, during which Romney said journalists continue to focus more on his religion than his issues.
"That's what I'm faced with," Romney said, according to Gardner. "I want to talk about my accomplishments but all they [the media] want to talk about is my religion."
His point was clear Tuesday.
While other White House contenders are often referred to by their titles or former government positions, Romney is frequently identified by his Mormon religion. Scores of stories on Tuesday quickly mentioned Romney's faith, while USA Today's centerpiece story asked, "Will Mormon faith hurt bid for White House?" CNN anchors repeatedly asked whether Americans would vote for a Mormon.
In his speech, Romney highlighted the hot-button GOP talking points: He's against same-sex marriage, illegal immigration, higher taxes and abortion, but he's for a strong national security and for America to be the world leader.
He also took what appeared to be a shot at Arizona Sen. John McCain, who is exploring a presidential bid and to whom Romney has positioned himself as an alternative.
"I do not believe Washington can be transformed from within by lifelong politicians," Romney said, making the last word plural instead of singular, as it was in his prepared remarks. "There have been too many deals, too many favors, too many entanglements - and too little real-world experience managing, guiding, leading."
McCain's campaign declined to comment.
Romney also played to Michigan, which will be one of the first states to hold a presidential primary contest and where his father's legacy as a three-term governor is still well-regarded. He mentioned Michigan nine times while only mentioning Massachusetts twice.
There was no mention of Romney's religion in his speech, but he hit on key words as part of an ongoing attempt to assure wary voters that his faith will not be an impediment. "I believe in God, and I believe that every person in this great country and every person on this great planet is a child of God," Romney said. "We are all sisters and brothers."
A good portion of Americans have told pollsters they wouldn't consider voting for a Mormon. The faith is viewed with skepticism by many evangelical voters, partly because of its belief in scriptures beyond the Bible and of modern-day revelation from God to the church president, considered by his followers to be their prophet.
Beyond religion, Romney also faces considerable hurdles in explaining to social conservatives, the base of the Republican Party, why he changed his position on abortion. In 2002, while running for governor, Romney said "women should be free to choose based on their own beliefs, not the government's," but he now says he is "firmly pro-life."
Romney's announcement Tuesday comes about 40 years after his father formally launched his unsuccessful White House bid. George Romney, however, essentially ended his campaign before it began by saying he had undergone a "brainwashing" by military leaders to support the Vietnam War.
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* PEGGY FLETCHER STACK contributed to this story.