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

I'm pro-life. I'm pro-gun. I'm pro-family. And I'm pro-business.

You know, as attorney general, there's no issue more important than making sure you are safe, that your families are safe.

I've decided to do it, for the pure and simple reason that I just think it's the right thing to do.

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'm here tonight, not as a Republican, not as a Democrat, but as an optimistic American who understands that we must come together behind the one man who can lead the way forward in these challenging times: my president, our president, Barack Obama!

Can you even imagine not hugging?