Politics | Mitt Romney Romney Was Once—Gasp!— a Democrat Thanks to 1992 voting technicality By Matt Cantor Posted Feb 3, 2012 8:23 AM CST Copied Republican presidential candidate former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney speaks at a campaign rally in Eagan, Minn., Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) If calling Mitt Romney a "Massachusetts moderate" isn't helping Newt Gingrich, here's a new label: "Massachusetts Democrat." The former governor was briefly a Democrat in 1992, thanks to a technicality BuzzFeed discovered related to his much-discussed Democratic primary vote for Paul Tsongas. Romney was registered as an "unenrolled" voter, meaning he wasn't part of a political party. His vote for a Democrat made him one, under 1992 law that has since been changed. At the time, unenrolled voters were enrolled "into the political party based on the ballot they chose at the presidential primary," says a Massachusetts official. "After voting, a voter would have had to 'unenroll' by completing additional paperwork to go back to their 'independent' status." A Romney aide confirmed his boss' brief stint as a donkey, noting that he "switched back" to unenrolled. Town records say Romney didn't enroll as a Republican until October 1993. Click to see a copy of his original voter registration. Read These Next The Reiners murders and arrest have called attention to a 2015 film. More details coming out about the last party the Reiners attended. Rob Reiner's son has been arrested after murder of his parents. Hero who disarmed Australia shooter might lose his arm. Report an error