Ann Romney Makes It Personal
After first noting that Hurricane Isaac had hit land, and offering up prayers for all involved, Ann Romney launched into a heartfelt speech about her marriage and relationship to the Republican nominee for President, Mitt Romney.
The crowd of 4,000 delegates quieted down and listened for the first time in an evening of back-to-back speeches as Mrs. Romney began to speak. She talked about her 42-year marriage to the presidential candidate, saying they did not have a storybook relationship.
“We had a real marriage,” she said, noting their lives of raising five sons and her battles against breast cancer and Multiple Sclerosis.
Ann Romney’s job as one of the main speakers of the night was to give a human face to the Republican candidate. According to the response from delegates in the hall, she succeeded.
“I loved Ann Romney’s speech,” said Marcia Silva, a delegate from New Jersey. “It definitely showed a softer side of Mitt Romney that a lot of people didn’t know. I cried at times.”
Mrs. Romney mostly left politics out of her speech.
“Tonight, I want to talk about love,” she said. She talked about how the couple jumped into marriage as college students, living in a basement apartment.
“Our desk was a door propped up on sawhorses; our dining room table was a fold down ironing board in the kitchen,” she said. “Those were very special days.”
She quickly moved on to outlining her husband’s successes as a businessman.
“He is successful at everything he does,” she said, as she wrapped up her speech.
As delegates jumped to their feet applauding, her husband surprised her on stage with a hug and kiss. They then took seats in the audience to listen to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s keynote address, the final speech of the first night of the convention.
PHOTO: Ann Romney takes the stage at the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida, Tuesday, August 28, 2012. (Dante A. Ciampaglia)
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