Romney Digs In For The Long Haul
BOSTON -- About 550 bundlers and donors rolled up their sleeves at the convention center here to try to convince supporters around the country to dip into their pockets once again for Mitt Romney.
After two very disappointing second-place finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire, the former Massachusetts governor argued that he is still standing on firm ground, due to the evolving nature of the race and the fact that he has received more votes than any other Republican candidate.
"Everybody assumed it would be settled by now and it ain't," Romney said. "It is still very fluid."
Dressed down in khakis and an open sport coat with no tie, Romney argued that the presumed GOP frontrunner has been left in the dust by the candidates who have been competing hardest in the early primary states.
"Only a few months ago, as you know, the whole thought was, OK, we've got to win Iowa and New Hampshire to get the momentum necessary to go up against this great powerhouse, the inevitable candidate Rudy Giuliani," Romney said. "And somehow Rudy Giuliani's inevitability is not inevitable anymore."
Romney, who was born and raised in Michigan, said that his unique ties to the state will give him an edge in Tuesday's primary. He also said that his business background makes him the candidate best able to handle the one-state recession that has plagued the state.
"I'm going to win Michigan," Romney told reporters. "So I'm not sure whether I must win it, but I will win it."