Delawareans for Romney '08

New Site -- MittSpaces

2006-12-27T18:23:00.000-08:00

Check out MittSpaces, an online social community for Romney supporters.

My Man Mitt

2006-12-03T08:10:00.000-08:00

Be sure to visit My Man Mitt!, the new home of the RomneyRoots on the web!

UPDATE

2006-07-17T18:39:00.000-07:00

As of July 17, I will be taking up permanent residence at the Elect Romney in 2008 blog. Please come by to get your daily dose of all things Romney. Beginning in July 2007, I will be back to this site with Delaware-specific 2008 postings.

Until then, if you are a Delawarean with an interest in helping Mitt Romney win the Delaware primary and become the next President of the United States, contact me at DE4Mitt-at-gmail.com.

Election Year Hiatus

2006-04-17T19:37:00.000-07:00

I'm going on hiatus now to focus on my races for 2006. In my stead, I refer you to Americans for Mitt and Ann Marie Curling's Romney blog. They'll get you what you need to know.

I am even more confident now than ever before that Mitt Romney is the right man to lead our nation into the future. I believe his candidacy is catching fire and I encourage all of you to prepare for a tough, long campaign to elect him President. Until November, then...

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN JOINING OUR EFFORT TO HELP GOVERNOR ROMNEY IN DELAWARE, PLEASE CONTACT ME AT DE4MITT-AT-GMAIL-DOT-COM.

More Positive Press

2006-04-09T06:46:00.000-07:00

There are all kinds of laudatory reports all over the nation for Governor Romney. This one sums it up the best from an '08 perspective.

Big Days for Mitt

2006-04-05T14:36:00.000-07:00

From Hotline On Call:

MA Gov. Mitt Romney couldn't have picked a better morning to brief donors and supporters on the development of his national political ambitions.

He woke up to laudatory headlines in the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and New York Times.

We hear that Romney had breakfast this morning with 30-to-35 Americans. We don't know precisely what was discussed, although we do know that a power-point presentation (shades of his Bain days?) was shown and the Ritz Carlton buffet breakfast sure seemed expensive.

Mitt has reason to smile these days. His landmark health-care plan shows successful leadership in a bipartisan setting creating a conservative solution to a major problem.

Can we just elect him President already?

Movin' on up....

2006-03-30T06:49:00.000-08:00

Governor Romney makes like The Jeffersons in Chuck Todd's 2008 Race Rankings. He is now in 2nd, behind John McCain. Here's what Todd says:

Think Romney’s feeling better about that decision not to seek a second term? The sole reason we finally put Romney ahead of Allen is that Allen's '06 re-election is becoming a distraction. Plus, the more we hear about Romney’s financial network, the more we wonder if McCain’s going to have company in the $100 million circle. Between the Mormon financial network, his Bain Capital friends and his own wealth, it’s safe to assume Romney’s going to be among the top three candidates simply because of resources.

Romney wins Townhall Straw Poll

2006-03-27T16:47:00.000-08:00

Townhall.com has finally pulled the GOP Presidential poll, and Governor Romney has won with over 50% of the more than 260,000 votes. This is another in a long line of poll victories for Mitt. Well done!

(The poll has not made it into the Townhall.com archives. I hope they didn't delete it.)

UPDATE 3/29: It is still not in the archives, and now they have a puff piece on George Allen. Coincidence? Is Townhall in the tank for Allen?

Polls, Polls, Polls

2006-03-22T18:59:00.000-08:00

Here's a Romney vs. Hillary poll.

Here's the Townhall poll; it's getting ready to cross the 200,000 mark and we're trailing a bit.

Here's the MSNBC straw poll.

Show your support.

Is this guy the best, or what?

2006-03-17T12:26:00.000-08:00

Portions of the Governor's speech today in Nashua, NH, from the New Hampshire Union-Leader :

"I was a little late," a meticulously coifed Romney told the audience as he arrived for the 15th annual Wild Irish Breakfast, a St. Patrick's Day roast organized by Streeter. "Stepping out of the car, I bumped my head and broke my hair."

"You can tell when it's election time here: You put up those `Candidate Crossing' signs," the governor said, pausing a beat. "And you can tell it's New Hampshire, because you speed up."

Romney also joked that he had begun the day reading the Bible before adding, "I always find it's very helpful to get up in the morning and see what the Union Leader is saying."

He complained in jest about the famously conservative newspaper that prints a daily prayer, reading the headline: "The sap is running."

Then he deadpanned: "But I haven't even made a decision yet."

New Polling Data

2006-03-17T12:06:00.000-08:00

March Strategic Vision state-by-state polls:

Michigan:
20. For the 2008 Republican Presidential Nomination whom would you support? (Republicans Only; Giuliani excluded)
John McCain 45%
MITT ROMNEY 14%
Newt Gingrich 7%
George Allen 4%
Bill Frist 3%
George Pataki 1%
Rick Santorum 1%
Chuck Hagel 1%
Undecided 24%

Pennsylvania:
21. Who is your choice for the Republican Presidential nomination in 2008? (Republicans only; Giuliani excluded)
John McCain 31%
Newt Gingrich 9%
MITT ROMNEY 7%
Bill Frist 6%
George Allen 4%
Rick Santorum 2%
George Pataki 2%
Chuck Hagel 1%
Undecided 38%

New Jersey:
19. Who would you support for the Republican nomination in 2008? (Republicans only, Giuliani excluded)
John McCain 35%
Newt Gingrich 7%
George Pataki 5%
MITT ROMNEY 3%
Bill Frist 2%
George Allen 2%
Rick Santorum 1%
Chuck Hagel 1%
Undecided 44%

Wisconsin:
27. Who is your choice for the Republican Presidential nomination in 2008? (Tommy Thompson excluded; Republicans only)
Rudy Giuliani 35%
John McCain 28%
Newt Gingrich 12%
George Allen 5%
Bill Frist 3%
MITT ROMNEY 3%
Rick Santorum 1%
George Pataki 1%
Chuck Hagel 1%
Undecided 11%

Georgia:
23. For the 2008 Republican Presidential Nomination whom would you support (Republicans Only)?
Rudy Giuliani 27%
John McCain 23%
Newt Gingrich 15%
George Allen 8%
Bill Frist 3%
MITT ROMNEY 3%
Rick Santorum 1%
George Pataki 1%
Chuck Hagel 1%
Undecided 18%

New York
32. For the 2008 Republican Presidential Nomination whom would you support? (Republicans only, candidates' names read to respondent to select. Giuliani excluded)
John McCain 34%
George Pataki 10%
MITT ROMNEY 5%
Newt Gingrich 4%
Bill Frist 4%
Rick Santorum 2%
George Allen 1%
Chuck Hagel 1%
Undecided 39%

All in all, I'd say it's looking real good for Governor Romney.

Religious Freedom Goes Both Ways...

2006-03-16T16:20:00.000-08:00

From The Boston Globe today: Romney files 'religious freedom' bill on church and gay adoption

A bill introduced by Gov. Mitt Romney that would exempt religious social services agencies from being required to place some adoptive children in same-sex households is being denounced by gay rights activists.

The bill filed Wednesday would exempt Catholic Charities -- the social services arm of the Boston Archdiocese -- from a state antidiscrimination law that says it must provide adoption services to gay and lesbian couples.

Romney's money quote:

"It is a matter beyond dispute, and a prerequisite to the preservation of liberty, that government not dictate to religious institutions the moral principles by which they are to carry out their charitable and divine mission," Romney said in a letter to House and Senate leaders.

There are agencies in Massachusetts that can serve the need for gay people to adopt. The Catholic Church should not be forced to violate its tenets by the state. Once again, Romney shows excellent leadership on social issues. I guess this means another 5-point drop in approval rating for Mitt in Mass, which is like a 5-point bump anywhere else!

Townhall Poll Madness...

2006-03-15T08:13:00.000-08:00

What is going on with the Townhall.com poll? The poll, which took about three weeks to get to 10,000 votes, now stands at 66,000-plus after a few days of Romney and Allen voters doing, well, I'm not sure what the Allen folks are doing, except that they voted about 10,000 between 11PM Sunday and 6AM EST Monday. Rather strange.

Anyway, keep voting for Mitt. It's a strong statement to win a poll with a sample size that large.

WOOOOOHOOOOO!!!!!

2006-03-11T18:05:00.000-08:00

Romney is the big story of the 2006 Hotline Poll!!!!!!

Frist - 36.9%
ROMNEY - 14.4%
Allen - 10%
Bush - 10%

We are on the move, people!!!!

UPDATE: Hotline has posted the second choices of the Frist voters. After a little math, I have determined that the total tally for the straw poll without Frist would have been:

Romney - 268, or 20.4%
Allen - 244, or 18.6%
McCain - 122, or 9.3%

So, without Frist, Romney wins!

Mitt wins Livingston County (MI) Straw Poll...

2006-03-11T16:53:00.000-08:00

Results posted at RepublicanMichigander:

1. Governor Mitt Romney – 24.74%
2. Senator John McCain – 18.56%
3. Senator George Allen – 17.53%
4. Congressman Mike Pence – 14.43%
5. Former Speaker Newt Gingrich – 11.34%
6. Former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani – 10.30%
7. Congressman Tom Tancredo – 1.03%

Write in:
Secretary Condoleezza Rice – 1.03%
Senator Sam Brownback – 1.03%

Shakeup at Team Romney...

2006-03-11T10:39:00.000-08:00

Trent Wisecup, of DC Navigators, has resigned as head of Governor Romney's The Commonwealth PAC, and will "consider other options." This is good news for all us Romney '08 supporters, because of Wisecup's links to former Romney advisor Mike Murphy, a principal at DC Navigators. Murphy, as you may remember, was John McCain's 2000 political guru. I can't imagine how Romney was going to be able to trust Wisecup if his boss was working for McCain. Chris Cilizza reads it as a negative, but I don't.

Rave Reviews for Romney at SRLC

2006-03-10T15:08:00.000-08:00

VOLuntarily Conservative, a Tennessee blogger covering the SRLC, gives the Governor big points for his message today at SRLC:

"The next address was by the first of the prospective 2008 Presidential candidates, Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. Due to my previous criticisms of Governor Romney, my skepticism was quite high. I was actually worried that I might be a bit too hard on Romney. However, Governor Romney showed fantastic oratory skills and delivered an interesting, impassioned message to the delegates. Out of the first round of speakers, he was the best of the bunch.

Romney, who, I am told, is trumpeting a slogan this weekend of "Yankee Governor, Southern Values," immediately got the crowd on his side by singing the old theme song of "Davey Crockett" - with a little addition of Bill Frist in the final wording. Romney spoke of the important lessons he had learned regarding reaching across the aisle to help the people of Massachusetts, something that he had to do in "the bluest of blue states." One of the best tales Romney told was of balancing the budget by cutting wasteful programs and increasing government efficiency. Specifically, Romney spoke of cutting $20 million from a homeless program for wasteful hotel expenditures that encouraged the homeless to bilk the system. Romney also spoke of the ridiculous notion of bi-lingual education and how it hurts a significant segment of the population in their attempts to better their lives.

Romney also laid forth the 4 major challenges facing America today. First, we must deal with the jihadists and their determination to unify the nations of Islam. On this front, Romney offered praise for President Bush's actions and the sacrifices of our military. Second, Romney identified the lack of understanding in the Congress that we are spending too much money. He cited the 49% growth in discretionary spending. Romney emphatically called for a presidential line-item veto to help in this regard. Third, Romney pointed out our need for an educated workforce. In particular, Romney pointed to the few engineers and PhD-level scientists that we produce compared to nations such as China and India. He said that America risks becoming irrelevant without improvements in these fields. "We must not become the France of the 21st Century," Romney stated strongly. Continuing on educational issues, Romney called for better pay for the better teachers and minimizing the teachers' unions. Interestingly, he called for educational immigration reform, referring to how our best foreign graduates have to leave the country upon receiving their doctorates while those with limited skills and virtually no education are allowed to stay. On this front, Romney appeared quite at odds with President Bush, much to his credit. Finally, Romney spoke of the need to embrace American culture, for his feels that is what has made America great. He quoted David Landis' "The Wealth & Poverty of Nations," which this blogger found impressive.

Overall, Romney's foray into the South had to be considered a success. His charisma is infectious, and his message will play well here. Can he explain away his previous record of compromising in Massachusetts? That will be crucial if he is to secure the nomination in 2008."

Also, Chris Matthews interviewed some SRLC attendees at the end of his 5 ET hour, and while all of them either said they were for Frist or Condi, they all had positive things to say about Mitt.

Check This Out

2006-03-05T11:03:00.000-08:00

The 64-man "Road to the Final Four" style 2008 poll. Be sure to visit and cast a vote for Mitt!

Here's the link.

Kondracke, Townhall, AmSpec on Romney

2006-03-03T17:15:00.000-08:00

Kondracke, via Real Clear Politics:

Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) has one very impressive thing going for him as a 2008 presidential prospect: the right policy priorities for the country.

He would fight Islamic jihadists by helping Muslims modernize, tackle the country's long-term fiscal crisis by reforming entitlements and health care, address the economic challenge from Asia by improving education and investing in technology - and try to work with Democrats instead of fighting with them all the time.

To test whether he'll sell as a GOP presidential product, he's molded his image to please the party's right-wing base. He defines himself as a conservative, says "my thinking has evolved" on abortion (from neutral to "pro-life") and supports a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage.

And yet on the stump - as evidenced by a recent appearance in South Carolina - he avoids right-wing demagoguery, advocating immigration reforms to allow foreign Ph.D.s and other highly-skilled workers to swiftly become U.S. citizens.

To the dismay of Massachusetts' scientific community, he's come out against therapeutic cloning of human embryos for medical research, but he's to the left of President Bush on the issue, favoring the use of leftover embryos at in vitro fertilization clinics for stem-cell research.Moreover, values and "culture" issues - the red meat that candidates usually toss to their base - come fourth in Romney's list of challenges facing the country, behind terrorism, the fiscal crisis and competition from China and India.

And as a Republican governor who managed to cut spending in a state with an 85 percent Democratic Legislature, Romney just might be able to tame what he calls Washington, D.C.'s "gotcha politics" by sharing credit with Democrats.

Heading into the 2008 presidential campaign, I'm especially interested in what prospective candidates think about the big issues facing America, and I'm hoping to explore that with them regularly in upcoming columns.

After interviewing Romney at the National Governors Association winter meeting, and finding him rather didactic in delivery, I discovered that he lays out his priority list regularly on the stump. If the priorities are right - and Romney's definitely are - then that's a good sign. And the ideas he's putting forward are challenging. They include what amounts to an individual mandate for people to have basic health insurance, with subsidies for low-income people, or else pay all their medical expenses out of their own pockets.

In Massachusetts, he discovered, it would cost $600 million a year to require "free riders" to be insured and to offer a basic high-deductible policy to the poor. But the state would save money because it costs $1 billion to provide free care to the uninsured.

He would not eliminate Medicaid, rather reforming it to become an insurance policy involving premiums, co-pays and deductibles for those able to pay. And, he'd reform Medicare and Social Security by shaving promised benefits for younger workers, though he hasn't yet worked out the specifics.

Following the failure of Bush's Social Security reforms last year, he said, "the BRAC approach may make more sense," referring to the process for closing military bases through a commission whose recommendations must be voted up or down in their entirety by Congress.

Beyond the difficulty of getting Congress to delegate entitlement policy to a commission, another flaw in Romney's agenda is his reluctance to make tax increases part of his solution to the long-term fiscal crisis.

He told me, "I don't like taxes. I think we need less government, not more government." He closed a $3 billion budget deficit in Massachusetts without raising taxes, he said.

And yet, he told me, "when I ran for governor in Massachusetts, I was asked, would I sign a no-new-taxes pledge? I said I won't sign such a pledge, but you know I hate taxes." As a presidential contender, he said, "I'm not going to say what [former President] George H.W. Bush said." That's a good sign. We'll see if he can keep to it.

To compete with China and India - "hardworking, educated, creative, innovative, family-oriented, mercantile" cultures - Romney proposes upgrading math and science education and paying top teachers as much as $15,000 extra a year.

"There's only one strong opposition group, and that's the teachers unions," he told me. "At some point, I think America - and, importantly, the minority communities - are going to say, 'it's time to split with our friends, the unions and the Democratic Party, and put our kids first here.' Unequal educational opportunity is the civil rights issue of our time."

Romney vetoed a union-backed bill to block new charter schools from being established in Massachusetts and had it sustained partly with support from black legislators. "It was a good sign," he said.

On foreign policy, Romney said he's "not a member of any school" - neo-conservative or realist - but he believes that combating Islamic jihadists will be the top priority for the next president and will require "a major, long-term effort to support the institutions of modernity in the world of Islam."

"Of course, in places where military conflict erupts, we have to win," he said, but he added that "the bar for putting American lives at risk is a very high bar." He supported the Iraq war based on the belief that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.

"A lot of miscalculations and mistakes were made," he said, but he stopped short of declaring, one way or the other, whether knowing what he knows now would have changed his stance on whether to take the fight to Iraq. Romney is handsome and articulate. He gained national attention for saving the 2002 Winter Olympics from collapse. He's not exactly mesmerizing on the stump, but he should be able to learn. He's definitely tilting rightward to run for the GOP nomination, but he doesn't seem to be selling his soul - yet. To his credit, a brochure that touted his accomplishments in Massachusetts also had pictures of two Democratic legislative leaders on its cover. That attitude and a sound agenda constitute a good start toward the presidency.

Mort Kondracke is the Executive Editor of Roll Call.

Also, Townhall.com features Governor Romney in it's feature article today, and Mitt is on the cover of the current issue of American Spectator, pictured above.

Romney Rocks! Amen to that.

Townhall.com poll...

2006-03-01T08:17:00.000-08:00

Mitt is crushing the competition in the Townhall.com poll. As of right now, these are the results:

Who do you want to be the Republican nominee in 2008?
George Allen | (22 %)
Sam Brownback | (2 %)
Bill Frist | (1 %)
Newt Gingrich | (14 %)
Rudy Giuliani | (12 %)
John McCain | (6 %)
George Pataki | (0 %)
Mitt Romney | (35 %)
Mark Sanford | (1 %)
Rick Santorum | (5 %)
Total Votes: 6131

35% of 6131 is 2146 votes!!! Allen in 2nd place, has 1349 votes. If you haven't voted, please do so.

The groundswell keeps building and building for Romney 08!

TV Appearance

2006-02-25T15:11:00.000-08:00

Mitt will appear on Fox News Sunday tomorrow with Chris Wallace. Check local listings.

Bennett endorses Romney for 2008

2006-02-24T14:43:00.000-08:00

On the heels of Utah Senator Orrin Hatch calling Mitt "one of the best managers in the country," Utah's other senator, Bob Bennett, today endorsed Governor Romney.

Sen. Bob Bennett says Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is "certainly my choice" for the GOP presidential nomination in 2008. Romney is the strongest candidate the Republicans could field, added Bennett, R-Utah.

It is quite unusual for US Senators to come out this early in support of a candidate. It will be amazing to see what becomes of candidate Romney when his name ID spikes.

Romney hires former top Bush campaign policy adviser

2006-02-23T19:10:00.000-08:00

From WFSB.com...

Gov. Mitt Romney, continuing to build a political operation reaching outside Massachusetts, has hired a domestic policy adviser who held that key role for George W. Bush during his first campaign for the presidency.

Sally Canfield, currently policy adviser to House Speaker Dennis Hastert, will move to Boston and join the payroll of Romney's political action committee in mid- to late-March.

After working on Bush's 2000 presidential campaign, Canfield served as a top adviser to Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson before helping draft the founding legislation for the Department of Homeland Security following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Another sign of a 2008 run, and nabbing top people helps legitimize us as a top-tier candidate.

Rumors also persist that Mitt is a favorite of some old-line Bush 41 alumni. The last person I heard say this was Howard Fineman on The Chris Matthews Show (not Hardball). So that's interesting.

Mass Dems take shots at Gov. Romney's travels...

2006-02-21T06:55:00.000-08:00

In this Boston Globe article, the Massachussetts Democrats again try to criticize the governor for his frequent travels to other states.

Cyndi Roy, spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Democratic Party, said Romney's absenteeism is becoming routine.

''Romney being away this week or next week isn't telling of anything. His running around the country for the past year and a half is more telling," she said. ''While he's courting Republicans around the country, we have real issues that need to be taken care of back home."

What they don't tell you, though is that his travels to Ohio, South Carolina and New Hampshire all have one thing in common -- all have elections this year for Governor. And Mitt, as head of the National Governor's Association, is charged with aiding GOP candidates in those elections. As Romney spokeswoman Julie Teer adds,

''Governor Romney's first priority is Massachusetts, and he's working hard to create jobs, reform education, and enact healthcare reform," she said. ''Just as Mike Dukakis traveled to help fellow governors as chairman of the Democratic Governors Association," Teer said of the former governor and presidential candidate, ''Governor Romney travels to help Republican governors."

Let the pre-emptive strikes continue. The Democratic party, in Mass and elsewhere, are shaking in their boots at the prospect of facing Mitt Romney in 2008.

Mitt's SC Trip a Hit...

2006-02-19T13:07:00.000-08:00

The Governor spoke in South Carolina last night, and here is the write-up from the local Greenville News. Romney's main purpose in traveling to South Carolina was in his role as Chairman of the Republican Governors Association, promoting the re-election of SC Governor Mark Sanford.

"SCGOP" posted a review of the evening on his diary at RedState.com, and it has elicited many comments in favor of Mitt, including:

"Personally, I think Romney/Sanford sounds like a real nice ticket." from 'jamespolk,'
"Romney also has the following the advantage over ALL the candidates:

* smartest guy in politics (top of class from Harvard law/mba)
* no corruption, sex scandals, or drinking issues (he's probably the most untainted guy in major politics today)
* financial wizard (founded Bain Capital, turned around Utah Olympics from misery, great job in MA fixing budget and reforming)
* very logical conservative in Reagan's mold, and is awesome at explaining why conservative values and politics are the best choice
* has supported Bush 100% on foreign policy
* charismatic, can "rally" support from the middle and right, and delivers great speeches (important after Bush)
* he's not a Senator, so the Presidential campaign won't be 24/7 debate over each Senate vote like there would be with Allen or McCain." from 'iamright,' and
"He is untouched by Washington, and he is conservative enough to rally the base, especially with the right VP. He has my full support." from 'FirstState.'

Okay, that last one is me. But I encourage you to go to Red State and show your support for Romney.

h/t Nathan for the Greenville Article

Working on a logo

2006-02-18T14:07:00.000-08:00

These are my first attempts at a logo.

Affirmation of my Big 4 theory...

2006-02-17T11:25:00.000-08:00

I have advocated a position that the race for the nomination will be fought amont four candidates: John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, George Allen and Governor Romney, as recently as in my post about the CPAC straw poll. In other forums, people have contested this, adding a Frist or a Tancredo or trying to remove Mitt from the equation. So it's nice when a site like NRO affirms my belief. From the NRO TKS blog, Jim Geraghty writes about the potential replacements should VP Cheney resign:

We will begin by presuming that the President would not pick one of the Big Four contenders for the Republican nomination in 2008 – John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, George Allen or Mitt Romney. Picking any one of these guys automatically makes that person the de facto frontrunner for 2008, and then the Bush administration has made three big enemies out of the others.

I couldn't agree more. I would love to see some 4-way polling in NH, MI, SC, AZ, DE, etc...

CNN/USAT/Gallup Poll

2006-02-17T06:00:00.000-08:00

The latest polling data on the 2008 race comes from Gallup, and the results are fairly predictable:

Rudy Giuliani 33
John McCain 28
George Allen 7
Bill Frist 6
MITT ROMNEY 3

Why this poll is meaningless:

It is really a benchmark for name ID.
It is a nationwide poll of Republicans and "Lean" Republicans. Nationwide Republicans and "Leaners" do not select the nominee. Only registered Republicans who vote in pre-Super Tuesday primary states pick the nominee.

I imagine that this is a fairly accurate representation of the nationwide name ID for these candidates, although I would think Frist would be recognized at a higher rate than Allen.

Make no mistake, however, ladies and gents, we have a lot of work in front of us to overcome the national profile that Rudy and McCain already have.

Our First Link!

2006-02-16T13:57:00.000-08:00

Allen under 50% in VA-SEN

My new friend Delathought, a conservative Delaware blogger, has referenced DE for Romney in this post. Let's hope the attention keeps coming.

Romney Working Hard, Becoming a Factor in SC

2006-02-16T08:16:00.000-08:00

This piece in the Hill updates readers on the GOP horse race in South Carolina. It sounds like a 2-man race between the Governor and John McCain, and they have a lot to say about Mitt:

Romney, in particular, party officials and consultants said, has aggressively courted grassroots activists. One Republican operative attributed this to Romney’s concern that he has yet to overcome “the Massachusetts factor” and Southerners’ distaste for Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.).

“Not that we’re leery of them,” he said of Massachusetts candidates, “but we are.”

Romney has also ramped up his involvement in local elections, Dawson and Sullivan said.

In 2004, Sullivan said, Romney gave between $40,000 and $50,000 to Republicans running for the state House and in other races in South Carolina.

This year, Sullivan said, “he’s turned around and given money to the party … and they’re looking for a full-time person down here just to hand out checks.”

Great advance work by the Romney/Commonwealth team. Given his built-in competitiveness in early-primary states like New Hampshire, Arizona and Michigan, if he can perform well in South Carolina, we really have a shot at making this a two-man race. And I'll take those odds every day.

ARG Poll

2006-02-14T18:02:00.000-08:00

This poll was taken of likely GOP Primary voters in seven states, from Feb. 2-9, by American Research Group. Governor Romney was the only candidate outside of McCain to poll in double digits (ME, MA, RI) outside of Pataki's 12 points in CT.

3 Caveats:

Rudy Giuliani is not in any of the polls.
Six of the seven states are in New England, where Mitt has higher name ID than most.
He lost in his own home state.

Interesting things to note here:

George Allen only registered in 4 states, and no higher than 1%.
McCain naturally polled as the front-runner, since he has a nationwide presence.
Large numbers (23-40%) of undecideds.

All in all, a good start.

CPAC Straw Poll Results

2006-02-13T06:38:00.000-08:00

Numbers are in from the CPAC Straw Poll, and the results are mixed. The raw data is here:

George Allen - 22%
John McCain - 20%
Rudy Giuliani - 12%
Condi Rice - 10%
Bill Frist - 6%
Tom Tancredo - 5%
MITT ROMNEY - 5%
Rick Santorum - 3%
George Pataki - 3%
Undecided - 4%

We can look at this a number of ways. First and foremost, there is no favorite for the nomination, even among conservatives. Secondly, Allen, Frist and Tancredo spoke at CPAC. Also, 81% of the respondents were between 18 and 21, so the results are misleading at best. The other misleading factor, in my opinion is that Frist, Tancredo, Santorum and Pataki are not viable candidates, and Rice won't run. This race, at this point is Allen-Giuliani-McCain-Romney.
This poll means nothing, other than Mitt scores between Tancredo and Santorum - both hardcore conservatives. So the Governor has some conservative bona fides, and as he becomes more public, he will emerge from both the conservative and moderate packs.

Reminders of Success

2006-02-13T06:29:00.000-08:00

The AP reminds us today of Romney's strong leadership and great success at the '02 Salt Lake City Olympics.

"As he weighs a run for president, does he hope people remember his role in turning around the bribery-tainted 2002 Salt Lake City Games?

Well, Romney said he isn't one to deal in hypotheticals and won't hazard as guess as to what it would mean for his political future. But he knows it has helped him in his political past."

And it will again, because he has left a long trail of executive success in his wake: Bain Capital, the 2002 Olympics, and governing Massachussetts out of debt and into the black without raising taxes. And in each case, he was the man in charge. His whole adult life, the buck has stopped with Mitt, and he has been successful. This is, and will remain, Reason #1 why he should be our next President.

Michigan Columnist High on Romney's Ed Plan

2006-02-12T15:01:00.000-08:00

In this column, Detroit News columnist tells his readers "Michigan could use an education leader like Mitt Romney." The gist of his piece is here:

"Massachusetts leads the nation in the percentage of adults with college degrees. At 48 percent, its rate is more than twice that of Michigan's.

Yet Gov. Mitt Romney knows that half isn't good enough."

And then there's this:

"His goal is for Massachusetts students to not only lead the nation in performance, but to consistently rank among the best in the world."

They already lead the nation, but Romney is not satisfied. Another reason he will be the next President of the United States.

Also, in this article, Senator Orrin Hatch says:

"I’ll just say this as a matter of fact: Mitt Romney has more management ability than any potential candidate on either side. He is one of the best managers in the country. He took over Massachusetts, which is an extremely liberal state with a totally dominant Democratic Legislature and turned a $3 billion deficit into a $1 billion surplus in just the few years he’s been in there."

h/t yabajobu 258

Coming Soon...

2006-02-09T08:26:00.000-08:00

Delawareans for Mitt Romney in '08 coming soon...