On September 19, 2006, WashingtonPost.com published a report from the Associated Press entitled "McCain May Alienate Some Conservatives". The author of the article, Liz Sidoti, reported that Gov. Mitt Romney had made it known that he supported President Bush's immigration position and that those who had broken ranks with President Bush had "made a big mistake". Below is a portion of the article:

Meantime, one of McCain's potential rivals for the GOP nomination, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, has made it known that he supports the president's immigration position, saying that Republicans who have broken rank with Bush "made a big mistake."