Romney to play in Iowa, plans TV ad
After months of largely staying away from Iowa, Mitt Romney is making a play for the voters who make the first choice for president in just five weeks.
The former Massachusetts governor plans to run television ads in the state starting Friday and his message is simple: he is the Republican who has the best chance of beating President Obama in November 2012.
"Going on television is just another tool in getting Mitt Romney's message out that Barack Obama has failed as a president, and that he is the best choice to grow the economy, cut spending and create jobs," said Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul. She added that Romney had always planned to compete in Iowa. It was not immediately clear how frequently the ad would run.
Romney has spent much more time in New Hampshire, where he is widely expected to win in the first-in-the nation primary held a week after the Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses.
Iowa Republican voters tend to be more conservative and many there view the former governor of Massachusetts who created the state health care program used as a model for President Obama's signature health care legislation with a skeptical eye.
In the 30 second television ad, released by the campaign Thursday, Romney touts his record as a business leader who has "learned something about how it is that economies grow."
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"The right answer for America is to stop the growth of the federal government and to start the growth of the private sector," Romney says in the ad, using a clip from a recent debate on CNN. A similar ad is also scheduled to air in New Hampshire.
Romney lost Iowa in 2008 to social conservative Mike Huckabee, who now hosts a show on Fox News. Huckabee is hosting the Republican candidates at a forum this weekend in New York City. Romney is expected to attend.
Romney, who largely avoided Iowa throughout most of this campaign, has increased his presence there in recent weeks as former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has emerged in polls as a challenger to Romney.
Romney is also scheduled to attend two debates in Iowa this month, on Dec. 10 and Dec. 15.
Watch the ad here: