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Romney: GOP needs both Iowa, NH
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By GARRY RAYNO
New Hampshire Union Leader Staff
Saturday, Dec. 22, 2007
MANCHESTER – Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said yesterday that in order to win the White House he needs to win both New Hampshire and Iowa.
He said he's not sure how much time he will spend campaigning in each state over the next two weeks, but noted, "It's important to campaign in both states, but whoever wins will need the support of the population in both states for the general election."
Both New Hampshire and Iowa are swing states Republicans will need in order to win the White House, he said.
Romney, who has enjoyed a double-digit lead in polls in the Granite State for several months, but now is being challenged by a resurgent John McCain, began a three-day swing through the state yesterday before breaking for Christmas.
The swing will take him from Rochester last night, to the Mount Washington Valley and Londonderry today and the Monadnock region tomorrow.
Speaking by telephone to the New Hampshire Union Leader yesterday, Romney said, "It's an exciting time that's going to narrow into a really close race. I've had a great grassroots team working with me for almost a year now."
The former Massachusetts governor downplayed the Boston's Herald's endorsement of McCain this week, saying that paper endorsed McCain before. "The one endorsement I'm most proud of is Sen. Judd Gregg. I'll take Sen. Gregg and his organization and his followers any day," Romney said.
He said people are looking for someone who is not a product of the Washington beltway to lead the country during a very challenging time in matters both foreign and domestic.
He noted he spent most of his life in the private sector before running for governor of Massachusetts in 2002. "They want someone who will change Washington," Romney said. "You cannot change Washington from the inside."
If people believed the right way to change Washington is from the inside they would have gotten behind an insider from the beginning, he said.
"People are looking for a new voice and a new vision and I hope they choose mine," he said.
Voters have given his campaign a "good close look' as they have Rudy Giuliani's, Fred Thompson's and Mike Huckabee's, he said. "The only true insider is McCain; the rest are from outside the beltway," Romney said.
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YOUR COMMENTS
Personally, I think Romney and McCain would both make spectacular candidates and presidents. I think they are our strongest candidates on the issues and our most electable as well. Th problem, however, is that if New Hampshire votes for McCain (something which will likely only happen if Huckabee wins Iowa), Huckabee could very well go on to win the nomination. New Hampshire voters may think they're helping John McCain, but really they are just setting up a fiscally liberal theocrat to be the nominee.
- Reed Snyder, Austin, TX
As a former UNH student, I hope the NH Primary tradition continues. Iowa caucuses, now controlled by Party activists, not so much.
My thought is John McCain could have left the Senate and his "good friends" who have spent a lifetime there like him - gone and proved his leadership as VP, governor, Cabinet Secretary, CEO in the private sector. But he didn't. Didn't even go for Senate leadership. It just got too comfortable being a Maverick, a glamour boy the media loved, who expected John to undermine Republicans in order to keep his "courageous" credentials opposing taxcuts, doing Gang of 14 machinations, McCain-Feingold. And always milking his POW status to wrap whatever he did with the "moral authority" of patriotism and victimhood.
It was just too much fun and his position was too secure for McCain to really change his "formula" of adulation. An old, old "formula" by now.
I think they are the same flaws that led McCain to be passed over for Admiral. He led, but just so far, and only led for the glory of John McCain. Not trustworthy. With you today, gone tomorrow.
Rudy just has too many issues. Thompson lacks energy and vitality. I like the purity of Huckabee and Paul, but they don't have what it takes to lead all Americans. I think Romney does. The guy is competent, not as "pure", not a smooth politician like Edwards or Huck - but I think he can get a lot done, work out good consenus politics, and is absolutely "locked" in commitments he ties to his personal morality, integrity, and credibility to be pro-life, appoint non-Leftist judges, and hold the line on taxes. I think if Romney is elected we would be safe for 4 years from any betrayal - because of his personal pledges on those huge matters.
- Mike Kennedy, Waterford, CT
Looking for an "outsider"? I recall that that was Jimmy Carter's pitch in 1976, and we so fondly remember the following four years. Funny how he also mentions being so proud of Judd Gregg's endorsement. Judd, despite this one monumental error in judgement that has disappointed so many of his good friends, has been a great Senator for NH. By no mere coincidence, he is also very much an insider.
- william k. olender, manchester, nh
Warren G. Harding revisited: Full of half-baked homilies. But this difference; he can buy just about anything.
- howard o'connor, wysox,pa
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