Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney stressed his record in business rather than in government during a campaign stop in Bettendorf on Thursday. Romney, who served one term as governor of Massachusetts, sought to distinguish himself from what he termed the "life-long politicians" in the race.

"If you want somebody who spent a life in the private sector, that understands why jobs come and why they go, how you make businesses healthier and how they get sicker — then you’ll want to have somebody like me in the White House representing this party," Romney said during a town hall meeting. About 200 people gathered inside small storefront in Bettendorf to hear Romney speak.

During a question-and-answer session with reporters, Romney took aim at rival Mike Huckabee on several fronts but did not criticize Huckabee directly during his appearance in front of voters.

Herb Trix of WVIK in the Quad Cities contributed to this report.