I've decided to do it, for the pure and simple reason that I just think it's the right thing to 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 don't want a lot of bureaucracy... I want to run state government the same way we run a campaign - efficient, effective and victorious.

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

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.

DiCaprio left the party with 20 women? I did that in 2012!

As a former lifelong Republican, it pains me to tell you that today's Republicans - and their standard-bearers, Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan - just aren't up to the task. They're beholden to 'my way or the highway' bullies, indebted to billionaires who bankroll ads and allergic to the very idea of compromise.

When I look at President Obama, I see a leader with a cool head, a caring heart and an open mind, a president who has demonstrated through his demeanor and through his deeds that he is uniquely qualified to heal our divisions, rebuild our nation and lead us to a brighter future together.

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

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!

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

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