SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — Mitt Romney declared victory in the Illinois primary tonight, and used the opportunity to continue his shift toward the general election and President Barack Obama.
Romney defined the November campaign as a choice between government regulation and the free market.
"Day by day, job-killing regulation by job-killing regulation, bureaucrat by bureaucrat, this President is crushing the dream and the dreamers," Romney said.
"This November, we face a defining decision," he continued. "Our choice will not be one of party or personality. This election will be about principle. Our economic freedom will be on the ballot."
Asked whether tonight represents a shift to the general election, one senior aide said it depends on what Romney's opponents do.
"Look we've won in Michigan, Ohio, Arizona, and now Illinois. We're getting there."
In the meantime, Romney will try once again to shift away from his opponents while sticking to his newly re-written stump speech and it's laser-like focus on Obama:
For 25 years, I lived and breathed jobs, business, and the economy. I had successes and failures but each step of the way, I learned a little more about what it is that makes our American system so powerful.
You can’t learn that teaching Constitutional law. You can’t learn that as a community organizer. The simple truth is that this President just doesn’t understand the genius of America’s economy – or the secret of our success.