GOP Nominee
Former Candidates
As much as the McCainiacs spin, Florida will note wrap up the nomination for anyone. Short of the Romney or McCain campaigns being taken out by tornado, this race is going to last until at least the March. A few reasons. Neither Senator McCain or Mitt Romney enjoy the ability to focus on the entire feb 5th market, and still achieve deep penetration. It’s always the question of a business model: Deep Penetration, or shallow blanket coverage. Unless McCain or Romney are leading in every state by 15+ in nearly every Feb 5th state the day after Florida, there is no way they can expect to have Feb 5th wrapped up. Because with a little bit of elbow grease a campaign can make up the difference in a state that is unopposed. It will come down to a game about McCain focusing on the eastern Sea board and Romney focusing on the West, with maybe both taking a few swipes in the mid-west states like MO and IL. It’s just not feasible to fly back and forth from NY to CA every other day.
With that in mind I am posting two new developments in the Romney campaign:
“I’m proud to support Governor Mitt Romney for President. Washington is broken – and we’re not going to fix it by sending the same people back just to sit in different chairs. Governor Romney is uniquely qualified to bring change to Washington, D.C. Throughout his career, he has been an agent of change. He created jobs in the private sector. He turned around the ethically and financially challenged 2002 Winter Olympic Games. And as the chief executive of Massachusetts, he cut taxes and promoted innovative solutions that created jobs and expanded health coverage,” said former Tennessee Governor Winfield Dunn.
In making today’s announcement Governor Romney said, “I appreciate the support of these strong Republican leaders from Tennessee. All over the country people are saying that Washington is broken. I believe that I have the experience and plan to fix it. Together, we can stimulate our economy by cutting taxes, we can strengthen our military, we can end illegal immigration, and we can build stronger families. I look forward to working with these leaders to earn the support of as many Tennesseans as possible.”
Tennessee Elected Leaders Supporting Governor Romney:
· Former Governor Winfield C. Dunn, Memphis, Tennessee Governor 1971-1975
· Senator Mae Beavers, Mt. Juliet, Senate District 17
· Senator Diane Black, Gallatin, Senate District 18
· Senator Jack Johnson, Brentwood, Senate District 23
· Senator Bill Ketron, Murfreesboro, Senate District 13
· Senator Paul Stanley, Memphis, Senate District 31
· Representative Chris Crider, Milan, House District 79
· Representative Jimmy Eldridge, Jackson, House District 73
· Representative Curtis Johnson, Clarksville, House District 68
· Representative Phillip Johnson, Pegram, House District 78
· Representative Debra Young Maggart, Hendersonville, House District 45
· Representative Jason Mumpower, Bristol, House District 3
· Representative Parkey Strader, Knoxville, House District 14
And for Virginia, Romney is now announcing his Virginia steering Committee. This is not a move you make if you believe your campaign would be finished should you loose tomorrow’s neck and neck race.
Members Of The Romney For President Virginia Statewide Steering Committee:
State Chair:
* Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling
State Co-Chairs:
* House Majority Leader Morgan Griffith
* Delegate Jackson Miller
* Delegate Chris Peace, Member Romney for President Faith & Values Coalition
* Chairman Corey Stewart, Prince William Board of SupervisorsSteering Committee Members:
* Trixie Averill, 6th District State Central Committee Member
* Adam Bitely, Chairman College Republican Federation of Virginia
* Helen Blackwell, 8th District State Central Committee Member
* Morton Blackwell, National Committeeman
* Linwood Cobb, 7th District Chairman
* Patsy Drain, 11th District State Central Committee Member
* Adam Erby, College Republican Federation of Virginia State Central Committee Representative
* Bob FitzSimmonds, 2007 State Senate Candidate, 29th District
* Rick Hendrix, 11th District State Central Committee Member
* Russ Moulton, Former 1st District Chairman
* Brian Plum, 7th District State Central Committee Member
* Former Delegate Jack Reid
* Chris Shores, 5th District State Central Committee Member
* Mike Wade, 3rd District Chairman
* Former Delegate John Welch
Editor’s Note: Volunteer Voters has more on this story here.-KWN
January 28th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
Romney needs to get to TN if he wants to carry it, right after 1/29.
January 28th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
Dunn is a solid pickup for him, though. Good get.
January 28th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
McCain is going to dominate Romney in VA. We Virginians are not big fans of flip-floppers like Mitt.
January 28th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
what’s the matter Jason? You worried that your boy is going down in Florida so you prepping in advance? You should be worried because Romney IS GOING DOWN.
January 28th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
btw- the Weekly standard agrees with McCain. He didnt lie about Romneys record, Romney is (as usual) just trying to hide his.
http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/014/665onpkm.asp
January 28th, 2008 at 3:19 pm
Virginia is full of veterans so McCain should do very well. Has John Warner endorsed anyone?
January 28th, 2008 at 3:19 pm
#4 - Just like he went down after Iowa?? Or how he went down after NH maybe?? Or how about how he went down after SC?? All I seem to see are claims from people like you that Romney will go down, and he has yet to do so. Please, keep saying it, as it seems the more people like you claim that Romney is going down, the more he seems to rise.
January 28th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
Romney look very, very good for Feb 5th. Its too bad Rudy didn’t stay stronger to take his own state and New Jersey though.
January 28th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
Notice that Tennessee and Virginia are both Southern States. If Mitt wins Florida, a Southern state, he is off to the races in the South. There is no way that Huckabee escapes Florida without negative momentum in the South.
January 28th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
Jason - what about Congresswoman coming back to the Romney camp as well as Randy Tate (former dir of the Christian Coalition) announcing his endorsement today?
January 28th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
4. No I am not down. I actually think romney wil win tomorrow. I just am making a comment on how people love to call game over for other candidates.
January 28th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
Romney gets stronger the longer the contest continues. It’s all part of the vetting process. Mitt’s natural superiority over the feeble septuagenarian McCain is already becoming the dominant driver in the primary.
January 28th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
Yes John Warner has endorsed John McCain.
January 28th, 2008 at 3:29 pm
Intrade numbers say romney is going down in Florida where mac is ahead by 5 points. So you mine as well pull out of florida now and go running to the next state to see if you can buy that election too, but the fact is the voters just aren’t buying Mitt’s flip flop circus.
January 28th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
To bad intrad numbes switch moment to moment. Intrade numbers are correct…at the time polls close, not the day before.
January 28th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
InTrade your guy is a flip-flopper in intrade. First he’s up, then down, then way down, then up, then down, then way down, then up. Give it another poll and he will be way down again.
It’s speculative traders like you that screwed up the housing market. Thanks.
January 28th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
Romney continues to roll out the endorsements today.
Kris Kobach, and more CA legislators.
January 28th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
16. Rick you sound like a John Edwards Man! Did your father work in a mill too?
January 28th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
Funny how Mitt is the flip-flopper when it was McCain himself who said that if Iraq didn’t achieve timetables and benchmarks then the mission could not be completed. That line sounds more like the ddefeatist left than Mitts.
But oh well….
January 28th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
Romney’s strategy will hardly be to tour around the West. Maybe a select state or two, but of Western states competing on Feb. 5th he already has significant leads in Colorado, Utah, and Idaho. He will go to California and run hard there, especially if he wins Florida, but even if not because it is not WTA. I think he’ll also look to the Midwestern region, and a couple of Northeastern states. He’ll hit Illinois, maybe Minnesota/North Dakota, he’ll probably take Masschusetts, and we’ll see what else.
Huckabee is going big after the South - it will be a little more tough depending on the Florida outcome.
McCain looks to be stronger in parts of the Northeast and CA. This whole thing is up for grabs. Completely up for grabs.
Stop writing political obituaries.
January 28th, 2008 at 4:24 pm
Mitt is coming to Colorado on Friday.
January 28th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
Yikes, what a list! Maybe you can publish the names of every Romney supporter, ever, Jason.
Hard to see, though, how Romney is going to be the “candidate of change” to fix “broken Washington” if his core support is establishment party leaders…
January 28th, 2008 at 5:40 pm
This is hilarious. McCain endorses Romney.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QA7JTDjG-Po