Romney’s Super Tuesday strategy takes shape

 

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (CNN) – Mitt Romney’s Super Tuesday strategy became a little clearer Friday when reporters traveling with the former Massachusetts governor were told where they would be going before he heads home to Boston on Tuesday to cast his vote in his home state’s presidential primary.

The campaign had kept their plans under wraps, not even telling the press where they would be buying advertising time, other than in California. On Friday, Romney alluded to a schedule in flux, saying they would focus on states where they are strong and could land a large number of delegates.

Romney is taking a brief break from the trail Saturday in Salt Lake City, Utah to attend the funeral of Gordon Hinckley, the former president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

From Utah, Romney plans to make campaign stops in Minneapolis, Chicago, St. Louis, Tennessee, Georgia, and West Virginia before winding up in Boston on February 5.

After leaving California Friday morning, Romney flew to Denver, Colorado for a well-attended rally at a Ford dealership, telling the crowd, “I have a Ford Mustang, it’s one cool car.”

Romney declined to make a prediction on what sort of Super Tuesday showing he’d need to stay in the race. “I can't possibly forecast at this stage what the kind of numbers I'll have coming out of Tuesday will be,” he said.

“There are a number of states we think we can pick up. There are other states we think are real long shots, there a number of states where I'm competitive. And we're going to be fighting in a lot of states.”

Romney is crisscrossing the country with some familiar campaign trail themes: his own economy-oriented pitch, and attacks on Republican rival John McCain for his relative lack of fiscal experience, his votes against President Bush’s tax cuts and drilling for oil on federal land in Alaska, and his record of partnering with prominent Senate Democrats on what Romney describes as liberal-leaning pieces of legislation.

“I believe his positions on a number of key Republican issues are not in line with the mainstream of our party,” Romney told reporters in Denver.

While Romney jumps from state to state, wife Ann and an army of sons have fanned out to the far reaches of the country – Mrs. Romney to North Dakota, sons Josh, Tagg and Matt to Alaska, Maine and Montana. “At this stage, I expect to keep on battling and get the nomination,” said Romney, “and I'm not going to forecast anything other than success.”

— CNN Political Producer Alexander Marquardt

Romney’s Super Tuesday strategy takes shape
rsinderbrand
Sat, 02 Feb 2008 02:20:21 GMT