Don Wilton said today he made a “personal error” in agreeing to support the campaign of Mitt Romney for president.
Don WiltonWilton, pastor of Spartanburg First Baptist Church and former president of the South Carolina Baptist Convention, said in a press release that the Romney campaign has agreed to withdraw all references to his endorsement of Mitt Romney as a candidate.
On Friday, Oct. 19, the Romney campaign issued a press release stating Wilton had “announced his support for Governor Mitt Romney and his campaign.” The release, which received attention from national and local news outlets (CBN, Greenville News, The State), quoted Wilton as saying he was “proud to stand alongside Governor Romney as he pursues our nation’s highest office.”
Wilton said that while an Oct. 19 Spartanburg Herald-Journal story reported he was “considering” an endorsement of Romney, the press release from Romney’s campaign, issued the same day, indicated he had won Wilton’s endorsement.
Following is Wilton’s statement:
“While I did give my consent to the local campaign to use my affirmation of the Governor’s stance on family values in my capacity as an individual citizen, I made the mistake of not realizing the extent to which it would be used on a national basis. It was my personal error to agree to support Romney’s campaign. Until this incident I had never endorsed any person running for any elected office, Democrat or Republican. While I have had the privilege of meeting with a number of fine candidates over the years I continue to believe my role and responsibility is to preach and teach the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am committed to pray for our elected leaders as well as for the wisdom of the American people as they are compelled to make choices based upon their deep and abiding convictions. The future of this great nation is at stake and the morality of her people in relationship to the God of our founding fathers is critical to our future. While I will vote my constitutional right as an American citizen, and while I implore all eligible Americans to do the same, I will continue to use my personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ as the only standard by which I determine who to vote for in any election.”