In case you missed it
Republican National Convention speeches
Mitt Romney officially gained a historic presidential nomination Tuesday night as Republicans tried to steer national attention toward their storm-shortened convention and a tight fall race against President Obama.
Below are some of the most anticipated convention speeches. Click to watch the full video.
Ann Romney
Even though the spotlight of the convention was focused on her husband, Mitt, she stole the evening. Her personal remarks, woven around the story of their life and family, were met with applause.
John A. Boehner
House Speaker John A. Boehner repeated a chorus of “throw him out” in the course of his speech, making a case against President Obama and for Mitt Romney. “We’re here to preserve this country the same way we built it – by exercising our God-given right to set a new course.”
Nikki Haley
Echoing the phrase "We built it" on the convention wall, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley addressed the president directly. "So President Obama, with all due respect, don't tell me that my parents didn't build their business."
Rick Santorum
"My grandfather, like millions of other immigrants, didn't come here for some government guarantee of income equality or government benefits to take care of his family. In 1923, there were no government benefits for immigrants except one: Freedom," the former senator said.
Scott Walker
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has rallied Republicans after surviving a recall election in June. “Too many Americans think our country is headed in the wrong direction. But Mitt Romney understands, like I understand, that people, not governments, create jobs.”
Chris Christie
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie put his famously combative leadership style up against a status quo in which leaders have become "paralyzed by our desire to be loved," as he made the case that Mitt Romney would tackle the nation's challenges without regard for political consequences.
Bob McDonnell
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell was once the subject of vice presidential speculation. McDonnell compared two futures for America in his speech. “The choice is very clear: the status quo of the entitlement society versus a dynamic change to an opportunity society. That’s what we need in America.”
Ted Cruz
Ted Cruz is a symbol of the tea party's strength after a long-shot Senate primary victory in Texas. “President Obama thinks the answer is more and more government. Government is not the answer. You are not doing anyone a favor by creating dependency, destroying individual responsibility.”
Paul Ryan
Mixing earnestness with youthful gumption, Rep. Paul D. Ryan introduced himself to the nation Wednesday night with a pledge to join Mitt Romney in tackling the country's most intractable problems. "They've run out of ideas," he said of the Obama White House. "Their moment came and went.
Condoleezza Rice
Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice delivered a strong defense of the interventionist policies championed by her onetime boss, President George W. Bush. "The question of the hour," she said, is "where does America stand?"
Mike Huckabee
Mike Huckabee, a onetime bitter rival of Mitt Romney, gave a glowing endorsement of the GOP presidential nominee. "Let me say to those who question how once-rivals can be now united: It’s quite simple. We have Barack Obama to thank."
Tim Pawlenty
"President Obama isn't as bad as people say; he's actually worse," said former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty to applause. "I've come to realize that Barack Obama is the tattoo president. Like a big tattoo, it seemed cool when we were young."
John McCain
Sen. John McCain made a bittersweet return to the GOP convention stage to heartily endorse Mitt Romney. "People don't want less of America, they want more," he said. "What they want to know is whether we still have faith. Mitt Romney has that faith."
Rand Paul
Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky opened his speech protesting President Obama's healthcare reform: "I still think it's unconstitutional." He went on to say: "There's only one option left: We have to have a new president."
Susana Martinez
Gov. Susana Martinez of New Mexico took the stage as the announcer asked the crowd to welcome the "first Hispanic female governor in the history of the United States." Martinez spoke of her upbringing in a border town, telling the crowd in Spanish: "In America, all is possible."
Luis Fortuno
Puerto Rican Gov. Luis Fortuno told those gathered the nation's "greatness lies in each of us." Fortuno touted his reductions in government spending, saying "we need to get government out of the way."
Mitt Romney
Declaring that “we deserve better” than the economic record compiled by President Obama, Mitt Romney accepted the Republican Party’s nomination for president. Romney said he had a specific plan to create “jobs, lots of jobs.”
Connie Mack
"America was built on the belief in free enterprise, hard work, passion and faith," said Rep. Connie Mack of Florida. "We have the awesome responsibility to make that dream a reality." Mack is running for the Senate.
Newt and Callista Gingrich
"Remembering President Reagan reminds us that the choices we make matter,” Callista Gingrich said in a tag team speech with her husband, the former Speaker of the House. The couple introduced a Ronald Reagan tribute.
Craig Romney
In an emotional speech, Mitt Romney's oldest son was cheered by the crowd when he got choked up. "My grandfathers came to America with little more than hope and the opportunity of America, through their hard work and perseverance they lived the American dream."
Jeb Bush
The former Florida governor told the cheering crowd of his brother, former President George W. Bush: "He is a man of integrity, courage and honor, and during incredibly challenging times, he kept us safe."
Jane Edmonds
Jane Edmonds, a self-described liberal Democrat who served in Mitt Romney's cabinet in Massachusetts, called her former boss “the real thing... honest, transparent and inclusive."
Clint Eastwood
Actor and director Clint Eastwood's more than 10 minutes on the national stage turned into an odd set-piece that featured the 82-year-old talking to an empty chair on the stage, meant to represent President Obama.
Marco Rubio
“Our problem with President Obama isn’t that he’s a bad person. By all accounts, he too is a good husband and a good father and, thanks to lots of practice, a good golfer,” said Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida. “Our problem is that he’s a bad president.”