Romney On Federal Min. Wage: 'We Ought To Raise It'

Former Gov. Mitt Romney thinks the federal minimum wage should be raised. The 2012 Republican presidential candidate mentioned his support for raising the pay floor while responding to a question from journalist Mike Barnicle on television Friday about how the Republican Party can effectively target the changing demographics of the country.

Romney said different Republicans have different views. “I for instance, as you know, part company with many of the conservatives in my party on the issue of the minimum wage. I think we ought to raise it because frankly, our party is all about more jobs and better pay and I think communicating that is important to us,” Romney said on MSNBC’s Morning Joe.

Romney said the GOP needs to convince working populations, specifically mentioning Hispanics and African-Americans, that Republican policies will lead to better jobs with better pay and that Democratic policies over the last five years have led to increased income inequality.

The last time the Legislature in Massachusetts approved a minimum wage increase was in 2006 while Romney was still governor. Romney vetoed a bill raising the state’s wage floor from $6.75 an hour to $8 an hour over two years after the House and Senate rejected his compromise offer of $7 an hour and a review every two years. His veto was overridden by the Democrat-controlled Legislature.