Half a century ago, Ronald Reagan, the man whose relentless optimism inspired me to enter politics, famously said that he didn't leave the Democratic Party; the party left him. I can certainly relate. I didn't leave the Republican Party; it left me.

I didn't leave the Republican Party. It left me.

I was a Republican and I saw the activists and what they were doing, it was intolerable to me.

I'm not a scientist either, but I can use my brain, and I can talk to one.

I'll continue to fight for school choice and home schooling. Do I believe in accountability? You bet I do.

When I was a Republican governor, he was obviously a Democratic president, but on issue after issue after issue, President Obama was very helpful to us in education, in the environment, with the handling of the BP oil spill.

I'll be honest with you, I don't agree with President Obama about everything. But I've gotten to know him, I've worked with him, and the choice is crystal clear.