Romney's Record on Gay Rights Questioned

Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney speaks at a rally on the steps of the Statehouse in Boston, Sunday, Nov., 19, 2006, to spur the Legislature to vote on a proposed ballot question that would end gay marriage in Massachusetts. Romney's beliefs on gay issues are under scrutiny after the re-emergence of a letter he wrote during his 1994 run for U.S. Senate in which he promised a gay Republicans group he would be a stronger advocate for gays than Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass. (AP Photo/Chitose Suzuki, File) (Chitose Suzuki - AP)

Romney has repeatedly stated his opposition to gay marriage, but in the 1994 letter _ sent in the final weeks of his failed Senate campaign against Kennedy _ he cited his sensitivity to the concerns of Log Cabin Republicans, the gay GOP group.

"As a result of our discussions and other interactions with gay and lesbian voters across the state, I am more convinced than ever before that as we seek to establish full equality for America's gays and lesbian citizens, I will provide more effective leadership than my opponent," Romney wrote.

During that same campaign, Romney also stated his personal opposition to abortion, but said he would not seek to change state abortion laws. As proof, he cited his mother's own 1970 candidacy for the U.S. Senate as an abortion rights supporter.

During Romney's 2002 gubernatorial campaign, supporters distributed fliers at a Gay Pride Parade in Boston extending the candidate's well wishes.

Weyrich said other conservatives had complained that Romney did not do enough this year to force the Massachusetts legislature into voting on a proposed constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman.

Despite the governor's protests, the Democratic majorities in the House and Senate used a parliamentary tactic to recess rather than vote. Romney has now joined a group asking the Supreme Judicial Court _ the same group of jurists who in November 2003 made Massachusetts the first state to allow gay marriage _ to force a vote or else order the question onto the state's 2008 ballot.

Prior to Romney's appearance in San Diego on Monday, members of the conservative community circulated e-mails criticizing the governor for being a RINO _ Republican In Name Only.

Associated Press writer Allison Hoffman contributed to this report from San Diego.