ELKO, Nev. - The theater at Great Basin College would have been filled to the rafters if the building had rafters Thursday when former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney came to Elko, Nev., to speak on behalf of John McCain and Sarah Palin.

Romney, who won Nevada following the Jan. 19 caucus ahead of Texas Rep. Ron Paul and McCain, drew more than 300 people to GBC, where he started his comments by addressing Thursday's debate between vice presidential candidates Palin and Joe Biden.

He said he correctly predicted McCain running mate and Alaska Gov. Palin would "do well" against Biden, and received loud applause when he said, "I want her to be our next vice president."

Romney, who drew as many people when he visited Elko as a candidate earlier this year, cited several reasons why McCain would make a better president than Democratic nominee Barack Obama.

At the top of his list was filling U.S. Supreme Court vacancies. Issues that tend to stir deep emotions, such as gun control and abortion, could be up for reinterpretation if liberal judges outnumber conservatives on the panel, he indicated.

McCain has said he would use Samuel Alito and John Roberts, two men known for their conservative views, as his "models" for judicial appointments.

On the war in Iraq, Romney said both men want to bring home the troops, "but John McCain wants to bring them home victorious."

Romney chastised Obama for saying he would meet with world leaders who oppose the U.S., such as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who leads Iran, a country with nuclear ambitions. "I want a president who won't talk to our enemies, but to our friends and help them and us," said Romney.

Romney said the two candidates differ on the economy, saying Obama would raise taxes on individuals and small businesses and McCain would lower them.

On energy, Romney said Obama's push for alternative energy sources such as wind and solar are also embraced by McCain. The two men differ, he said, on funding clean coal technology and nuclear energy and drilling for oil on U.S. soil.

Acknowledging there are "real problems" with health care, Romney said Obama would essentially turn the nation's system over to government control. Quoting conservative political satirist P.J. O'Rourke, Romney said, "If you think health care is expensive now, just wait until it's free."

He said McCain would give every family in America a revenue-neutral $5,000 tax credit with which to buy health care. "After seeing how they handled (Hurricane) Katrina I don't want bureaucrats running health care," said Romney to wild applause.

It is "essential," he said, for America to maintain its strongest nation status. He specifically mentioned an emerging China as a potential threat. If the U.S. is passed by the communist nation in the economic sector, it is only a matter of time before China's military is stronger as well, he said.

Romney said he attended the Beijing Olympics and noted the Chinese "love free enterprise" but not freedom. He said CNN is censored and television screens often go black. "I'm sure FOX isn't even allowed over there," he said, again to enthusiastic applause.

He said Russia plans to "drain" the U.S. economy through energy demands and terrorists simply want to kill us. "That's why it's so critical John McCain is elected," he said. "He'll keep the economy up and taxes down. We'll get energy independent."

Following his speech, Romney spent several minutes shaking the hands of audience members.