Romney the Early Frontrunner for 2012

It's very, very early, yet--but it's still noteworthy to point out that after Sarah Palin's spectacular crash and burn, Mitt Romney has emerged as frontrunner in the 2012 election. How the likes of Sarah Palin and John McCain rose to the top last year in the first place is beyond me--but let's leave that for another discussion.

From the Fox News article:

Of all the Republicans and Republican-leaning respondents polled, 26 percent favored Romney as the nominee while 21 percent preferred Palin. Nineteen percent favored former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and 14 percent chose former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

A lot can change in three years. However, I'm convinced that a devastated economy will remain the top issue as the Obama administration continues to gut the potential for free-market prosperity. This plays to Romney's strength, and will land him in a strong position to contend for the office.

Michael Novak - Another Powerful Romney Endorsement

Wow, there's nothing like heating up the political horse race to bring out the big, ringing endorsements. First the National Review, and now the widely respected philosopher and diplomat Michael Novak. Read the endorsement.

An excerpt:

"One of my favorite texts from the New Testament is "By their fruits you shall know them." That verse has taught me to look for persons who actually love God, not so much by the churches they attend or what they say they believe, but by how they and their families live their lives. Over two public generations now, the Romney family has given us examples of upright, decent, warm lives, given to public commitment even though they did not have to be.

"These days, though, it has become imperative for some Christians to come out publicly for Mitt, now that his religion has come under unfair attack. I am no expert on Mormon theology, but I do profoundly admire the good family life and good individuals it keeps sending forth into the world. Those are signs I read clearly."

Romney Radio Spot on Immigration

Check out Mitt's latest radio spot.


Not bad, eh?

Ames Chooses Romney

The much ballyhooed Ames, Iowa straw poll, which is seen as a bellwether for the success of Republican presidential candidates, has given another solid and significant victory to Mitt Romney, who has maintained his upward momentum over the grueling past 12 months or so.

This result should narrow the field of Republican contenders significantly--particularly those who were hoping to slide into a close second place behind Romney and knock him off balance. In fact, Tommy Thompson had stated that he would drop out if he didn't achieve first or second place. I think others will probably follow suit. Bye bye.


Here are the results:

1. Gov. Mitt Romney with 4516 votes and 31%
2. Gov. Mike Huckabee with 2587 votes at 18.1%
3. Sen. Sam Brownback with 2192 votes and 15.3%
4. Tom Tancredo with 1961 votes, 13.7%.
5. Ron Paul with 1305 votes, and 9.1%
6. Tommy Thompson, 1,039 votes, 7.3%
7. Fred Thomson with 203 votes.
8. Rudy Giuliani with 183 votes.
9. Duncan Hunter with 174 votes.
10. John McCain with 101 votes.
11. John Cox with 41 votes.

Romney Wins the Q1 Money Race

This is only from a blurb on Drudge, but I'm sure we'll see accompanying stories shortly.

Romney: $23 million in total receipts... raised $20.63 million in primary contributions...
Rudy Giuliani: $14 million PRIMARY money raised; $17 million in total receipts...

It's a critical achievement for Mitt Romney, who needs this boost at a time when his name recognition barely registers in the national polls. This sends a message to party activists that he is a viable, long-haul candidate with the resources to challenge the Democrat nominee, whoever that turns out to be.

Update from the Romney camp:

"Facing opponents in an extremely competitive fundraising field who enjoy universal name identification and the clear advantage of existing networks of contributors, Governor Romney's fundraising totals are indicative of the extraordinary success the campaign has had at building an organization and stirring excitement among grassroots activists responding to his message," said Romney spokesman Kevin Madden.

Romney Roster Update

It seems like this is turning into a daily update. Romney has announced another addition to his campaign, this time in all-important Iowa. His name is Keith Hunter. His credentials, from the article:

Keith Hunter Serves As A Member Of The Board Of Directors With The Iowa Christian Alliance (Formerly The Iowa Christian Coalition), a Position He Has Held Since 2002. He served as Communications Director for the Christian Coalition of Iowa from 2003-2005.

From Mr. Hunter:

"I am honored to join Governor Romney's campaign efforts here in Iowa. Governor Romney has a strong record of conservative leadership and is ready to bring innovation and transformation to our government. I look forward to working with grassroots activists to spread the Governor's record of action to every corner of Iowa."

And the momentum continues to build.

Two More to the Romney Roster

Just a quick post to note two more figures joining the Romney campaign. First, Cincinnati's S. Craig Lindner, co-president of American Financial Group and CEO of Great American Financial Resources, will serve as Romney's Ohio fundraising co-chair. The significance? From the article:

Locking down the Lindners is a pretty big score for the Romney campaign, since there are untold numbers of other corporate-types in this part of the world who generally follow the Lindner family's lead when it comes to campaign contributions. …The support of Cincinnati's Lindner family…can draw millions in campaign contributions.

Second is Former U.S. Rep. Bob Beauprez of Colorado. In a mass-email, Beauprez said:

"We have had the opportunity to learn a great deal about Mitt and we are impressed by what he has achieved - as a husband and father, as a successful businessman, and as the Governor of Massachusetts who brought conservative governing principles to a state famous for its liberal tendencies."

These endorsements are all the more timely and valuable during the run-up to the "invisible primaries," the March 31 deadline for campaigns to disclose their financial status. It is then that we will get a feeling for the long-term viability of all the candidates, making it a crucial milestone on the trek to the White House.

It still looks like Mitt is doing everything right in the networking department. Keep it up!

The Election Cycle of Incurable Diseases

Nothing newsworthy to report here, but just an observation. In the last few months, a number of prominent politicos have brought incurable diseases to light. Specifically, I refer to Mitt Romney's wife Ann (multiple sclerosis), John Edwards' wife Elizabeth (breast cancer spread to the bone) and White House Press Secretary Tony Snow (colon cancer spread to the liver). What's truly interesting is that none of these people are particularly geriatric. It really reminds you that mortality knows no political or economic bounds, and is truly one thing we all have in common.

I really enjoy the horse-race leading up to election day. Beyond that, hopefully these developments will shed new light on health issues such as these.

Christian Coalition Officer Joins Romney Campaign

You can have it both ways. NewsMax reports that Drew McKissick, who was instrumental in pushing through South Carolina's gay marriage ban, has joined the Romney team as a paid "South Carolina grass roots adviser." This is significant because McKissick is an officer of the Christian Coalition, and an example of crossing theological barriers to promote common values.

From NewsMax:

"I started to go through this process a year ago," McKissick said of the endorsement. "It became obvious to me who was likely be the consensus conservative choice."

See Mr. McKissick's own announcement on Conservative Outpost.

While Latter-day Saints remain separate from mainstream Christianity, there are far more similarities with conventional beliefs than there are differences. And Mormons espouse values that are virtually identical to all faiths who believe the Bible to be the Word of God.

It's refreshing to see people campaign on values instead of dogma, and on substance over rhetoric.

It's Mitt TV!

Need a daily dose of Mitt Romney? Then head over to Mitt TV, where you'll find recent and archived clips relevant to his presidential campaign.

Mitt Romney's First Campaign TV Spot

About a year before the primaries, and Mitt is already running this in select markets. Go Mitt!

It's Official...Finally

Mitt Romney has filed papers to officially declare candidacy for the 2008 presidential bid. Suck it, McCain!