EDITOR'S NOTE: "On the Trail" is a series profiling the major candidates as they campaign across the state in the final weeks before the New Hampshire primary.

Looking to shore up support among undecided voters before the primary, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney took to the road over the weekend trying to prove himself the most conservative candidate in the Republican race.

Along the way, at stops in Milford, Peterborough and Hillsborough, he started hitting his opponents on what he called their inability to pass "Reagan 101."

"One of the developments here that a poll indicated is that Mayor Giuliani's support has declined," Romney said in an interview. "And I think some of the more -- I'm not sure what the right word would be -- liberal elements in the party are likely to move over to Senator McCain."

Once with a comfortable lead, a surge of support for former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in Iowa and Sen. John McCain in New Hampshire has Romney campaign staffers working to mail, call or knock on the door of every undecided voter they can find.

Romney sees New Hampshire as his home turf and said he stays at his homes in Wolfeboro or Belmont, Mass., while he campaigns here.

"New Hampshire is like being home, of course, for me," he said. "For the other guys it means air travel and hotels, but for me it means sleeping in a bed that's familiar."

Though he said his support has not waned, he has already started thinking about what a loss in Iowa and then New Hampshire would mean for his campaign's momentum.

"People usually say there are three tickets out of Iowa and then there are two tickets out of New Hampshire," he said. "Everybody wants to win and I'd like to come in first. If I can't come in first, then I'd like to come in second."

Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, second from right, visits Robie's General Store in Hooksett yesterday. (AP)

Check out our earlier "On The Trail" profiles:

►On the Trail: Bill Richardson touts his plans for jobs and education (6)
►On the Trail: John McCain's 'Straight Talk Express' picks up speed (2)
►On the Trail: Joe Biden sees Iowa caucus as momentum-builder (16)
►On the Trail: Dennis Kucinich would push peace, health care (17)
►On the Trail: Mike Huckabee knows how to run (8)
►On the Trail: Hillary Clinton hears "incredible personal stories" (11)

After holding 43 "Ask Mitt Anything" town hall meetings in New Hampshire and 143 nationwide, Romney said meeting voters still excites him.

"At the end of the day I find it hard to fall asleep," he said. "I have to get a book and read for half an hour to sort of tune down the energy I've gotten from the people I spent time with (on the trail.)"

In Milford, voters crammed into Foodee's on the main oval in town to see Romney. Over a half-eaten cheese pizza, Peter Constantine of Milford and Betsie Bridge of Amherst, talked about the governor changing his views on issues such as abortion and gun control.

"Everybody is mad at George Bush because he doesn't change his mind on Iraq and he is so steadfast on his thinking," said Constantine. "Now here you have a guy that re-evaluates the situation and makes up his mind based on new information."

Bridge chimed in, "I'm kind of glad he's a flip-flopper; you know why, because otherwise he is too perfect."

Later on the steps of the Peterborough Town Hall, a human-sized flip-flop saved from the 2004 election by one Keene resident has since been repainted to sarcastically read: "Flip for Mitt." The sign's owner, Steve Lindsey, 47, said he was first angered by Romney's proposal of doubling the size of the terror detention camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He thought Romney was "a snake oil salesman" after meeting him once to ask about historic preservation.

"My feeling is that he is such an opportunist that he kind of offends me. He really makes Kerry look like a piker, like weak tea. All politicians have to play to the base, but Romney is so fearless in his turnarounds," Lindsey said sarcastically.

In an interview, Romney responded to claims that he has made major changes to his platform.

"It's always possible for an individual or an entity to go over a lifetime of quotes and say: here's a quote, let's see if that says something that sounds different than was said later," he said. "Just look at my record. You can see what I did as governor, its very straightforward. I brought down taxes, I got health care for all of our citizens, I came down on the side of life, I opposed same-sex marriage."

With only 12 days to go before the New Hampshire primary, voters will soon give Romney his own final grade in "Reagan 101." Until then, he plans to meet with another round of voters this week, including stops today in Nashua, Manchester and Bedford.