Romney Downplays His Chances In South Carolina

By: Scott Conroy
Topics: Mitt Romney

(CBS)

From CBS News' Scott Conroy:

BLUFFTON, S.C. -- Fresh off his crucial victory in last night's Michigan primary, a confident Mitt Romney took his campaign south of the Mason-Dixon line for a day-and-a-half long bus tour through South Carolina. Romney was brimming with confidence this morning, and his stump stories and routine jokes seemed to hit the mark better than usual with the crowd of about 500 retirees here.

Though he said that he would fight hard for votes here, Romney tried to dampen any expectations that his Michigan victory will carry over to South Carolina.

"I think Senator McCain has a very strong lead here," Romney said to reporters. "He's the clear frontrunner. It would be an enormous surprise if he were to be unable to win here. I'd like to do better than my current place, which is fourth, but even a strong fourth is better than what some of the other guys saw in Michigan last night."

Several recent South Carolina polls actually show Romney in third place, trailing McCain and Mike Huckabee and ahead of Fred Thompson.

While his three main rivals here plan to devote all of their energies to the Palmetto State over the next four days, Romney is scheduled to fly out to Nevada tomorrow to try to secure a victory in Saturday's caucus there. Romney pointed out to reporters that South Carolina only awards 24 GOP delegates, while there are 34 delegates to be won in Nevada.

"I'm not looking for gold stars on my forehead like I was in first grade," Romney said. "I want delegates."

Romney said that after South Carolina and Nevada vote on Saturday, he would focus his attention on the 21 GOP Super Tuesday states with contests on February 5th and would also expend resources in Florida, which holds its primary on January 29th.

"Interestingly, Florida looks wide open," Romney said. "Instead of being the firewall for the Giuliani campaign, it's going to be a real contest."

Romney said he disagrees with the notion that Republican voters are disappointed with the GOP field and said that five well-qualified candidates represents "an embarrassment of riches."

"You've got Senator McCain, who is a national hero," Romney said. "You've got Rudy Giuliani, who is America's mayor. You've got Governor Huckabee who's a very well-spoken and entertaining individual. You've got Fred Thompson, who is a senator and a charming actor, and then you've got a guy like myself who has spent their life in the private sector. And all five of the ones I just mentioned, if I did my math correctly, are pretty impressive in their own right."

Scott Conroy
Scott Conroy is a National Political Reporter for RealClearPolitics and a contributor for CBS News.
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by drnewknee January 18, 2008 1:26 AM EST: There is an elephant in the room and some folks don''t see it:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ucac/20080116/cm_ucac/theelephantintheroom; Reply to this comment


by johnjacobs99 January 17, 2008 12:49 AM EST: The media sure downplays that Romney won in Wyoming and potrays Michigan as his first win. If Romney doesn''t come in first place in every state, the media thinks his campaign is doomed. They neglect to mention Giuliani who has put almost as much money into the race and look what he has to show for it. Mitt Romney really is the best chance for Republicans. Go Republicans !! Go Mitt!!; Reply to this comment


by Ruidu January 16, 2008 11:28 PM EST: Today, the following businessmen from Arkansas released a statement in support of former Arkansas Governor, Mike Huckabee: Scott T. Ford, President and CEO, Alltel Corporation; Warren A. Stephens, President and CEO, Stephens Inc.; Madison Murphy, Former Chairman, Murphy Oil Corporation; John Tyson, Chairman of the Board, Tyson Foods, Inc; and French Hill, Chairman and CEO, Delta Trust and Banking Corporation:

"We are a traditionally bi-partisan group of executives of several of the largest corporations headquartered in the State of Arkansas, each with considerable exposure to the Administration of Governor Mike Huckabee. Of late, Governor Huckabee has attracted what we believe to be unwarranted criticism regarding his business record."; Reply to this comment


by justinthame January 16, 2008 10:26 PM EST: Romney''s campaign was never in danger of going under. No matter what the media prints, you have to have respect for a campaign that has grass-roots support in all 50 states (the Romney campaign had staffers and even sent his sons to Wyoming, a place John McCain and Mike Huckabee probably couldn''t find in a Rand-McNally children''s atlas!) So far he''s been first or in contention for first in every state. Conservatives across the nation are wising up to the other candidates and recognizing Romney as the best man to turn this nation, and its economy, in the right direction for the future.; Reply to this comment


by andiec1 January 16, 2008 8:22 PM EST: Which candidate will do something about the horrible salaries in South Carolina the pay scale in South Carolina is far below the rest of the nation.; Reply to this comment


by d123m1 January 16, 2008 8:15 PM EST: Like him or not, Romney is intelligent, articulate, and optimistic. He has brought positive change to the organizations he has worked with. I''m for giving him my vote!; Reply to this comment


by funuvit January 16, 2008 7:38 PM EST: Is it possible for Huckabee to form any two sentences without verbally man-*** backhand slapping Mitt Romney. Is anyone else sick of hearing him whine about his empty pockets while he panders to the downtrodden with a victimization complex. A ray of hope and empowerment is what would encourage the suffering of the middle class, not commiseration. Mitt Romney is putting his own money where his mouth is and what is wrong with that. His money should speak positively of him and not negatively. It is not an indicator of his success, but how he earned it. He is known for taking failing ventures and organizations and turning them around. Called in to help the failing Olympics, he stopped the finger-pointing and rolled up his sleeves. Riddled with debt and scandal, he retooled it into the most successful Olympic games ever. It was running $379 million short of its revenue benchmarks. The Games were also damaged by allegations of bribery involving top officials. Romney became the new president and CEO of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee. Romney revamped the leadership and policies, reduced budgets and boosted fundraising. He also ensured the safety of the Games following 9/11 by coordinating a $300 million security budget. Despite the initial fiscal shortfall, the Games cleared $100 million in profit, not counting the $224.5 million in security costs contributed by outside sources. Romney contributed $1 million to the games and donated the $825,000 salary he earned as CEO to charity.; Reply to this comment


by swifthare-2009 January 16, 2008 7:29 PM EST: Romney is a class act. He clearly admires and respects his rivals personally, but has legitimate debates over the issues. Romney consistently champions the positions that matter most to America. I wish that his rivals would also stick to the issues instead of resorting to cheap personal attacks. But this is where Romney''s class act sets him above the rest.; Reply to this comment


by ab1l1ty January 16, 2008 7:07 PM EST: Romney won and has been at the top of every primary, because he is the only well-rounded conservative with a chance on winning the presidency. Here%u2019s why:
He has more executive experience than any candidate.
He is a strong social conservative.
He has vision for change
He can turn around other mistakes made prior to his taking the Job. (Bain Capital, Olympics, MA. Huge deficit, Big Dig Fiasco, and he''ll do the same in Iraq)
Huckabee is a nice guy... so is Jimmy Carter
Mccain is a great american but he continually pals around with Kennedy, Lieberman, Feingold etc..
Be Smart. Look at the Facts.; Reply to this comment