Mitt Romney Reverses Himself, Supports Anti-Union Law

via Philip Elliott, AP, Deseret News

A day after he refused to endorse an Ohio ballot measure that limits public employee union rights, Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney said Wednesday that he is “110 percent” behind the effort.

While he was in Ohio on Tuesday, Romney seemed to distance himself from anti-union measures that have lost popularity in recent months. Campaigning a day later, the former Massachusetts governor told reporters that he supports the ballot measure aimed at restricting collective bargaining rights for state employees.

“I’m sorry if I created any confusion in that regard. I fully support Gov. (John) Kasich’s — I think it’s called Question Two in Ohio. Fully support that,” Romney said after visiting a local GOP office in the Washington suburbs. “Actually, on my website, I think back as early as April, I laid out that I support Question Two and Gov. Kasich’s effort to restrict collective bargaining in Ohio.”

Romney’s rivals criticized him for not supporting the measure, which he previously endorsed but has seen its popularity falter.

“As a true conservative, I stand with Gov. Kasich in promoting S.B.5 for fiscal responsibility and job creation in Ohio,” Texas Gov. Rick Perry said in a statement. “Gov. Kasich and the Republican leadership of Ohio are to be commended for their efforts.” Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman turned to Twitter to tweak Romney:

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