Posted on 02/02/2008 6:43:44 PM PST by NormsRevenge
MINNEAPOLIS - Despite John McCain's building political momentum, Mitt Romney said Saturday he does not expect the Republican presidential nomination to be settled during the coming week and he is planning to continue campaigning beyond Super Tuesday.
The former Massachusetts governor said the number of states up for grabs, his prospects of succeeding in some of the 20-plus GOP contests that day, as well as a growing concern within the Republican Party about conferring the nomination on McCain give him reason to fight on.
Romney said he plans to speak Thursday at the Conservative Political Action Conference convention in Washington, although he conceded he may pare his staff after Tuesday's elections surpass the halfway point in the nomination battle.
"I'm planning on doing well on Tuesday, planning on getting the kind of delegates and support that shows that my effort is succeeding, and taking that across the nation," he told reporters as he flew to Minnesota from Utah after attending the funeral of Mormon church President Gordon B. Hinckley.
During a news conference Friday in Denver, Romney passed on three chances to vow he would carry on, prompting speculation he could drop out of the race as early as Wednesday in Boston.
He said Saturday: "We're still early in the process, seven states in. We've got 22 coming up on Tuesday. I expect to pick up a number of those states, and I don't think anybody's going to have the necessary number as of Tuesday night, and so we have time. It's a funny thing about how sentiment ebbs and flows in this race, and has ebbed and flowed in this race. And I am encouraged by the support which I'm seeing grow for me."
During a news conference late in Minneapolis, Romney celebrated a caucus victory Saturday in Maine, noting that it came despite McCain's backing by the two U.S. senators in Maine, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins.
"This is a people's victory," Romney said. "It is, in my view, also an indication that conservative change is something that the American people want to see. I think you're going to see a growing movement across this country to get behind my candidacy and to propel this candidacy forward. I think it's a harbinger of what you're going to see on Tuesday."
While Romney has lost major head-to-head contests against McCain in New Hampshire, South Carolina and Florida, he preferred to focus on his prior victories in Wyoming, Michigan and Nevada. "With this, that gives me the edge 4-3," he said with a chuckle. "I don't weigh 'em all the same, of course."
Nonetheless, with the fact that 29 states will have by Wednesday, Romney plans to review his budget. While he has outraised the field, he has also been his campaign's largest single contributor, donating $35 million to his committee.
"We have a very substantial staff, as you know, not what's here but back in Boston, and we had a big staff in Iowa, Florida, New Hampshire," he said. "That's a much larger staff than you have as you go on to these subsequent primaries. So, we'll have the people needed where we're going to need them."
McCain beat Romney last Tuesday in the Florida primary, his third major head-to-head victory over Romney. In the aftermath, the Arizona senator picked up high-profile endorsements from former rival Rudy Giuliani, as well as California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Texas Gov. Rick Perry.
His newspaper endorsements have also swamped those going to Romney, but the former governor said bedrock conservatives are coming to his side, driven by supportive commentary from conservative media voices such as Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham.
Romney also said his campaign has seen an uptick in donations — $345,000 in one day last week versus a typical daily take of $50,000 — as the race has crystallized into a two-man contest between him and McCain.
Two other candidates, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, have lagged in national public opinion surveys and the GOP delegate count.
"I think one of the dynamics that changed is that conservative Republican and mainstream Republicans, all over the country, in the last 48 hours or so, have concentrated on the prospect of Senator McCain being our nominee and are saying, `That's not the direction we want to go,'" Romney said.
He has accused McCain of being out of the Republican mainstream on taxes and immigration, and he has hit on McCain saying that economic matters are not his strength. McCain has accused Romney of flip-flopping on an array of partisan issues, and said that Romney lacks his understanding of military matters and foreign affairs.
Romney told reporters: "The resolution of Iraq will become more clear in people's mind, but the lack of resolution of our economy will become more of a concern. And I know there will be some who say this is just a short-term thing, it's just a bump in the road, everything is fine. But I see far more concern long-term in our economy than I think a lot of people want to acknowledge."
In his unusually introspective session, Romney said he had not given any thought to his plans should he quit the race.
"There'll be plenty of time for thinking if I don't win," he said.
He also declared he was not stressed about the precarious state of his campaign.
"This is not something I'm doing because I need or I want it desperately for myself," he said. "I believe the country could benefit from the experience I've had, but that is not what motivates me."
In addition, Romney reflected on the massive funeral he had just attended among his fellow members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Romney met with Hinckley several times when he was running the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, as well as once on a personal basis before launching his presidential campaign. If successful, Romney would become the first Mormon elected president.
"Obviously, for the president of our church, it was a much larger ceremony than you'd normally enjoy," he said. "It was very tender. It was very easy to listen to and not be emotional."
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NEVER FORGET
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While future Sen. McCAIN was a prisoner of war in Hanoi, Communist North Vietnam...
future Sen. JOHN KERRY was doing all he could here in America to insure a Communist North Vietnam terrorist takeover of a then Free South Vietnam.
Now ..with Sen. McCAIN’s Congressional backing...
Sen. KERRY / Communist Vietnamese Killing Off Christians in Central Highlands...
http://www.Freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/675016/posts
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NEVER FORGET
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The probability is that McCain will lose the general election. There are tens of millions of conservaties who will not vote for him. His nomination will probably destroy the Republican Party. And if he actually wins the general election, the destruction of the GOP will be a certainty, since the coalition will be irrevocably split asunder.
McConan the "Republican"? Just say NO!
Go Mitt!!!! winners never quit and quitters never win!!!!
The race is over. See realclear avgs.
Time to move on.
The lapdogs of the MSM and their Liberal masters (in both parties) may be in for quite a shock as this election season progresses. I sense the sleeping giant of Conservatism is beginning to awaken.
We'll put you down as "shill." Thank you, drive through.
Good news bump.
If Mitt can survive Super Tuesday there are some big states left including Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. He needs to win most of the caucus states on Tuesday where his money and organizational advantages will help greatly, and pick off delegates from some of the big states such as California where there are no winner take all scenarios. Yeah, it’s going to be an uphill fight for Romney, but he will probably survive with enough delegates on Tuesday to fight on.
That’s a great char, but I object to using the term POWs for the Gitmo jailbirds. Calling them terrorist detainees would be more accurate.
Although we were told that efforts by volunteers in our county and others were good enough in 2004 to force the enemy to deploy resources here that they would otherwise have used in Ohio-- so maybe we made a difference.
Good!
I wonder if McCain will have a Howard Dean moment. Remember how unstoppable Dean was?
Hopefully so. Now with Governor Rendell having endorsed Hillary, we have another hurdle to overcome.
Sorry, yes, the expletive Huckabee plans to stay in it until McVain has secured the nomination.
I pray he will do so poorly on Tuesday that even a low-life such as him will be shamed into abandoning his quest to see McCain win out.
I hope Romney loses big time. He’s the worst of the remaining candidates.
Texas and Ohio have their primaries March 4. I expect Romney to carry Texas; Huckabee will come in 2nd and Johnnie Mac in 3rd.
Just you wait and see.
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