Posted on 01/21/2012 1:41:19 PM PST by lbryce
With Mitt Romney facing the biggest challenge to his presidential aspirations since he announced his candidacy, his aides acknowledged Friday what seemed unthinkable just seven days ago: He could lose the South Carolina primary.
After arriving here last week fresh off of what seemed to be two victories in a row in Iowa and New Hampshire, Mr. Romney was suddenly confronting the prospect of leaving as the winner of only one of the first three nominating contests.
Having been stripped of his victory in Iowa on Thursday after a recount that gave the state to Rick Santorum, Mr. Romney now is in danger of being defeated in Saturday’s primary here by Newt Gingrich, who had been declared dead not once but twice in the past year, including less than two weeks ago when he finished fifth in New Hampshire. A new Clemson University poll of South Carolina voters released on Friday showed Mr. Gingrich with a six-point lead over Mr. Romney. It was within the survey’s margin of sampling error but captured a dynamic shifting in Mr. Gingrich’s favor.
At this stage of a primary election, campaigns work hard to manage expectations so they can put the best possible face on the actual voting results; Mr. Romney’s aides were no doubt being mindful of that as they spoke in relatively gloomy tones.
But, as Mr. Romney faced attacks from all sides, renewed questions about his own stumbles and whether he is conservative enough for the grass roots of his party, there was a real aura of apprehension coursing through his campaign. With his prospects of wrapping the race up quickly apparently diminished, Mr. Romney and his strategists began preparing his staff, his supporters and his financial bundlers for a longer and rougher march toward the nomination.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
With Mitt Romney facing the biggest challenge to his presidential aspirations since he announced his candidacy, his aides acknowledged Friday what seemed unthinkable just seven days ago: He could lose the South Carolina primary.
Cheers!
He never won it in the first place. Just a little attempted cheating.
I don’t know why this is such a abrupt blow. It was only a matter of time before the conservative wing of the party coalesced around a single candidate. That that is now happening in South Carolina should have been something Romney the vaunted central planner saw coming even from as far away as Massachusetts.
I always saw it that way too... but the Mittwits really believed the polls that have shown all along that Romney was the 2nd choice of everyone.
The problem is those polls have been proven wrong over and over and over again.
When Perry surged... Romney was supposedly their 2nd choice.
BUT
When Perry imploded... all his support went to Cain.. and then the same thing happened. All the polls showed Romney as the 2nd choice of Cain supporters..
BUT
Then Cain imploded .. and all his support went to Gingrich.
This has been happening all year long, right in front of the faces of the Mittwits and they have missed it.
Romney will always be the “2nd choice” .. and once this gets down to a 2 man race.... 2 choice will be last place :)
Having been stripped of his victory in Iowa
________________________________________
say WHAT ???
Gosh, I’m so sorry, words fail me.
Couldn’t happen to a nicer patrician hypocrite.
Are we to understand that Mitt Romney’s team never figured that if 75% of Republican voters were clearly refusing to support him, then eventually they MIGHT coalesce behind one conservative candidate to oppose him?
Is Romney’s team THAT dumb?
I don’t like to be overly optimistic, but Gingrich could well coalesce the entire state as opposed to the Huckabee-McCain primary.
I would vote for Paul over Romney. Mitt is dead last for me.
What blow? He lost last time, too.
Thanks lbryce.
“Is Romney’s team THAT dumb?”
YES!!! Romney is inevitable . . . not.
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