So far, it's Clinton, Romney

By: Anjeanette Damon

Reno Gazette-Journal

Friday, Aug 17, 2007

"U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton continues to reign as the leading Democrat in the Nevada Caucus, but the Republican field is subject to wild swings in support, according to a new Reno Gazette-Journal poll.

"Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney soared 24 points to capture the lead from former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who dropped 20 points compared with a March survey.

"Of 400 Republicans likely to be at the caucus polled Aug. 14-16, 28 percent supported Romney. Giuliani and former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee, who has yet to announce his candidacy, were next with 18 percent each."

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"Romney was in Elko on Monday and is ahead of the other Republicans in hiring staff in Nevada."

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"'I have a hard time believing over a long period of time that you are going to find samples that say Mitt Romney is as polarizing as Hillary Clinton,' Ryan Erwin, a Nevada consultant for Romney, said." ...

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Mitt Romney: Former Mass. governor focuses on economic proposals during stops in Greer

By: Jason Spencer

Spartanburg Herald Journal

Friday, Aug 17, 2007

"Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said during a presidential campaign stop Thursday that he wanted to eliminate taxes on savings for middle-class families, make the Bush tax cuts permanent and expand tort reform that has passed in South Carolina and other states to the federal level.

"Romney's range of topics was broad - he touched on immigration, health care reform and strengthening families - but he emphasized three economic policies before a crowd of more than 100 people on Trade Street, and again when he met with reporters at the Greater Greer Chamber of Commerce.

"Romney's savings proposal would eliminate taxes on interest, dividends and capital gains for middle-class families."

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"In front of reporters, Romney praised the tort reform in South Carolina backed by Gov. Mark Sanford in 2005. In Romney's words, American companies are spending more on civil lawsuits – implying that many of them are frivolous – than on research and development. Romney pointed out that if only a few states pass tort reform, companies can still be sued in other states, which is why he would push for such reform on the federal level.

"Romney also wants to eliminate estate taxes and lower corporate taxes. On the latter point, he made what seems to be the obligatory attack on Democrat Sen. Hillary Clinton, noting Clinton wants to raise corporate taxes."

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"But some of the more subtle efforts of Romney's long-running campaign in the Palmetto State are paying dividends.

"'He's the best man for the job,' said Mark White, senior pastor at Christian Assembly of God church in Greenville. '(Mike) Huckabee and (Sam) Brownback are great guys - I appreciate their moral standards - but the bottom line is, they're not going to win against the Democrats. And Mitt Romney can.'

"White first met with Romney and his wife, Ann, in December with about 10 other Upstate pastors - an event orchestrated by evangelical activist Dee Benedict of Greenville, who has since been added to Romney's payroll.

"White is now a member of Romney's National Faith and Values Steering Committee." ...

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Romney wins straw poll at Illinois fair

By: Kevin McDermott

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Friday, Aug 17, 2007

"Not far from the cotton candy vendors, Illinois Republicans spun a small piece of political history at the Illinois State Fair Thursday, with a presidential straw poll that organizers hope could someday provide an Iowa-like influence in early primary campaigning."

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"Fewer than 1,000 people voted in the event, which handed former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney his second Midwestern poll victory in as many weeks. Primed by beer and a live band, fairgoers lined up at electronic voting screens on a muddy lawn near the fairground's goat barn. Media coverage was mostly local and subdued."

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"'The Iowa poll started as a small thing, too,' noted Illinois Republican Party Chairman Andy McKenna, the architect of the Illinois event. 'It's a test of the organizational strength of the statewide campaigns. It's clearly something we can build on. ... People had fun.'

"Romney beat eight other GOP candidates, though it was arguably less a victory than a strategy. Romney may have been the only candidate for whom winning the Illinois event would mean something, because he won last week in Iowa. Following up by winning a contest in a neighboring state allows the campaign to crow that it's building strength across the Midwest."

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"'It shows we're carrying our strength (from) Ames, Iowa, across the Midwest,' Craig Romney said after the polling. 'The campaign's in great shape right now.'

"In the end, Romney got 373 votes, or a little over 40 percent of the 922 votes cast." ...

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