Obama Calls to Congratulate Romney on Securing the GOP Nomination

President Obama called Governor Romney Wednesday morning to congratulate his opponent on securing the Republican nomination. Mitt Romney officially clinched the Republican nomination with a primary win in Texas Tuesday night, securing enough delegates to guarantee his name on the ballot this November.

"President Obama said that he looked forward to an important and healthy debate about America's future," his campaign press secretary Ben LaBolt said in a statement. The sitting president wished his opponent well, ahead of the official campaign season.

With a little more than five months till the election, Obama and Romney will face off in three official debates this summer, but the attacks began months ago. Romney promised to use his business experience if elected president to turn around the economy. "We need to have presidents who understand how the economy works," he said at a fundraiser in Las Vegas Tuesday night, "I do. I want to use that experience to get us to work again."

Last week in Iowa, Obama said the former Massachusetts Governor had the wrong experience for the executive office. Obama said Romney's goal in the private sector was creating wealth for himself, not creating jobs. "There may be value for that kind of experience, but it's not in the White House," Obama said.