Romney in It to Win It in 2012

Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney declared Thursday in New Hampshire that he is indeed running for president next year.

Romney is viewed as somewhat of a front-runner for the Republican nomination, even though he has natural deficits, including his Mormon faith -- not very popular with voters -- and his tendency to flip-flop on issues. While governor, Romney approved a health care reform law that in many ways is similar to the one signed into law by President Obama last year. The Wall Street Journal once called Romney's support of that bill "a fatal flaw" for his presidential candidacy. Romney has also taken a right turn on gay rights; while running for Senate in 1994, he said he would be a bigger advocate for gays than Edward Kennedy, and, while he never supported marriage equality, Romney did throw his weight behind antidiscrimination laws. But, as The New York Times noted, when he ran for the GOP nomination in the 2008 presidential election, his vocal support for gay equality disappeared and he began speaking out against same-sex marriage.

Romney is not the only Republican visiting New Hampshire, the first state to hold a primary for the 2012 election. Sarah Palin and Rudy Giuliani are also in the state, while Michele Bachmann will be there June 13 for a debate.