What They're Really Saying About Governor Mitt Romney At The New Hampshire GOP Debate - Vol. II

Tuesday, Jun 05, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Kevin Madden (857) 288-6390

National Review's Rich Lowry: "Romney's Answer on War on Terror: Quite good (and he was shrewd to get off the tactical nuke thing quickly with a simple no-option-off-the-table)." (Rich Lowry, "The Corner," National Review Blog, http://corner.nationalreview.com/, 6/5/07)

Townhall's Hugh Hewitt Said Romney "Looked And Sounded Great." (Hugh Hewitt, "We Are Not Going To Build Fences And Barriers," http://hughhewitt.townhall.com/g/356cbdd4-ddd4-45d3-895f-a69cfdc8c0da, Accessed 6/5/07)

Political Strategist Mike Murphy: "I Thought Romney Had A Good Performance Tonight." "And I'll quickly defend Mitt Romney. I thought he had a good performance tonight. And I thought it was impressive that he brought up China, which is a huge economic issue that I think is going to play big in the general election. I thought he was very clear about Iraq, which is 'fight terror.'" (CNN's "Post-Debate Coverage," 6/5/07)

Captain's Quarters' Edward Morrissey: "How many times will Romney have to answer for his religion, and why does he have to do it at all? Romney gave a gracious and tenacious answer, which should be the last time he has to answer it." (Edward Morrissey, "Romney gets the Mormon question... again...," Heading Right, http://headingright.com/, 6/5/07)

Hotline's Emily Goodin, Romney Nailed The Mormon Question. "Romney got the Mormon question. He quotes JFK - 'not a Catholic running for president but an American.' He also makes it political but slams it back on the press. Romney: 'I also believe there are some pundits out there who hope I'm going to distance myself from my church in order to help myself politically and that's not going to happen.'" (Emily Goodin, "Praying to God," The Hotline: On Call, http://hotlineblog.nationaljournal.com/, Posted 6/5/07)

National Review's Jim Geraghty: "As I was watching this, I thought, 'I would be comfortable with Romney as the nominee.' The word 'unflappable' comes to mind. Solid answer on a borderline unfair question on the Mormon thing. I'm struck by how he manages to squeeze an answer that's usually pretty solid no matter what amount of time is available." (Jim Geraghty, "GOP Debate Three Wrapup," National Review, The Hillary Spot, http://hillaryspot.nationalreview.com/, 6/5/07)

Washington Post's Chris Cillizza Highlighted Romney Applause For His Immigration Answer. "Later, Romney called for making the Z-visa program in the Senate legislation temporary and called on the government to enforce current law. He drew two rounds of applause." (Chris Cillizza, "McCain & Giuliani Tussle Over Immigration," Washington Post: The Fix, http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/, Posted 6/5/07)

CNN's John King: "Romney Did Good On The Idea Of Mormonism." JOHN KING: "... And Mitt Romney did good on the idea of Mormonism and invoking the idea of John Kennedy, a religion like yours, not to be afraid of and that's something his campaign will have to engage in probably more than just tonight as the campaign goes along." (CNN, "Post Debate Coverage," 6/5/07)

What They're Really Saying About Governor Mitt Romney At The New Hampshire GOP Debate

Tuesday, Jun 05, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Kevin Madden (857) 288-6390

CNN Political Analyst Bill Schneider Said Romney Sounded Like A President. CNN's BILL SCHNEIDER: "'I won't answer hypotheticals' - former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney sounds like a president already when he responded to a question about what he would do if the current 'surge' strategy in Iraq was judged to be unsuccessful." ("Schneider: Romney Sounds Presidential," CNN Political Ticker, http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/, 6/5/07)

Washington Post's Chris Cillizza: "Romney Continues To Perform Well." "Mitt Romney continues to perform well, this time deftly handling a question about voters' doubts about his Mormonism. He called it a 'fair question to ask' and highlighted the similarities he shares with Christians rather than the differences that exist. 'The values that I have are the same values you will find in faiths across this country,' Romney said." (Chris Cillizza, "Surprise, Romney Gets a Mormon Question," Washington Post Blog, www.blog.washingtonpost.com, Posted 6/5/07)

- Cillizza: "Romney attacked both Washington -- 'where everything becomes a mess' -- and the Democratic party for promoting 'socialized medicine.' He used the health care question to highlight his resume as a doer during his gubernatorial term in Massachusetts; 'I'm the guy who actually tackled this issue,' he said." (Chris Cillizza, "Giuliani, Romney And Thompson On Health Care," The Washington Post, The Fix http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/, 6/5/07)

CBN's David Brody: "If Mitt Romney doesn't become President, he should seriously consider being CEO of debate school. He could teach every candidate a thing or two. He is so polished, a great speaker and doesn't come across as robotic." (David Brody, "The Brody File Reacts To The GOP Debate," CBN's The Brody File, http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews, 6/5/07)

- Brody: "His answers tonight on Iraq and immigration were very clear. He comes across as very knowledgeable. I thought it was the right move tonight to NOT attack John McCain on immigration. This way he comes across as the nice guy, not the attack dog." (David Brody, "The Brody File Reacts To The GOP Debate," CBN's The Brody File, http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews, 6/5/07)

- Brody: "Romney had been criticized before the debate because McCain said he didn't have a plan on immigration but Romney said very clearly that he does: enforce the current law. That answer was a crowd pleaser." (David Brody, "The Brody File Reacts To The GOP Debate," CBN's The Brody File, http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews, 6/5/07)

National Review Online's Andy McCarthy: "Romney: enforce the law as it exists... That hits the sweet spot." (Andy McCarthy, "Romney: enforce the law as it exists," http://corner.nationalreview.com/, 6/5/07)

Politico's Jonathan Martin: "Romney Knocked The Mormon Question Out Of The Park." "Wolf sorta gave it to him open-ended, but Romney knocked the Mormon question out of the park. He opens by drawing the JFK comparison, which makes the whole proposition seem less exotic, and closes by reminding those unnamed 'pundits' that he won't distance himself from his church to help him politically, which guilts those for even raising the question." (Jonathan Martin, The Politico Blog, www.politico.com, Posted 6/5/07)

The New Republic's Michael Crowley: "Governor Romney is a razor-sharp speaker. The answer about his Mormonism was a perfect 10. The man is a human PowerPoint presentation - it's almost scary." (Michael Crowley, "Mitt," http://www.tnr.com/blog/theplank, 6/5/07)

ConservativeBlogger.com's William Smith: "Romney is really solid tonight... he's saying the right things." (William Smith, "DEBATE: Live-Blog Of GOP Debate," http://conservativeblogger.com, 6/5/07)

Heading Right's Macranger: "Romney handled it 'Presidential...'" (Macranger, "Romney vs. McCain," Heading Right Blog, http://headingright.com/, 6/5/07)

- Macranger: "Romney hits it out of the park! Immigration - ENFORCE THE LAWS ON THE BOOKS! Exactly!" (Macranger, "Romney Hits It Out Of The Park," Heading Right, http://headingright.com/, 6/5/07)

Governor Mitt Romney Stands Out By Debating Substance

Tuesday, Jun 05, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Romney Press Shop (857) 288-6390

Manchester, NH - Tonight, Romney for President Communications Director Matt Rhoades released the following statement on the third Republican presidential debate:

"Tonight in New Hampshire, Governor Romney addressed the issues important to the American people - a strong national defense, a strong economy and strong families. By talking substantively about the issues facing Americans today, Governor Romney stood above the crowd of candidates in tonight's debate.

"Governor Romney is the only candidate who can change Washington and lead a stronger America into the future."

Governor Romney Announces South Carolina Statewide Finance Co-Chairs

Tuesday, Jun 05, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Romney Press Shop (857) 288-6390

Boston, MA – Today, Governor Mitt Romney announced the Co-Chairs of the South Carolina Statewide Finance Committee. Jim Anthony, Peter Brown, Bill Hewitt and State Senator Greg Ryberg will help Governor Romney raise the resources needed to run an effective campaign in South Carolina. Drea Byars will serve as the South Carolina Finance Director.

"It is an honor to have the support of these South Carolina business and community leaders," said Governor Romney. "With their help, we will continue to build our expanding grassroots network in this critical state and bring change to Washington."

Background On South Carolina Statewide Finance Committee Co-Chairs:

Jim Anthony (Pickens) - Anthony is the Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Cliffs Communities, Inc. Prior to his founding The Cliffs, he spent more than 20 years as a telephone line repairman for Southern Bell, while building an active real estate development business on the side. In 1999, Anthony was named "The Most Influential Greenvillian" by Greenville Magazine, and was a finalist for Greenville Magazine's "1999 Business Person of the Year." In 2006, he was honored with the Blue Ridge Council of the Boy Scouts of America's Distinguished Citizen Award. Anthony also serves on the Society of International Business Fellows and the Upstate Alliance, an economic development cooperative of the Carolinas.

Peter Brown (Columbia) - Brown is Vice President of Colite International and a Managing Partner of Colite Outdoor, LLC. Colite International was recognized as the 2001 World Trader of the Year by the South Carolina World Trade Center. He has been an active Finance Committee member for DeMint for Senate. He served on Governor Mark Sanford's finance team and was a member of Governor Sanford's Inaugural Committee. Mr. Brown also serves as Chairman for the South Carolina Jobs-Economic Development Authority. He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame. He was previously employed by Milliken & Company prior to the founding of Colite International, Ltd. in 1992.

Bill Hewitt (Charleston) - Hewitt is a Board Member and Chairman of Polymer Group, Inc. He has served on numerous finance teams in the past including U.S. Senator Jim DeMint and Governor Mark Sanford. He is a Trustee of the Medical University of South Carolina and immediate Past Chair of Spoleto Festival USA. Hewitt has served on five corporate boards. He is also the immediate past Chair at the Citadel and was a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Coast Guard with tours of duty including command of the USCGC Cape Morgan and teaching electrical engineering at the Coast Guard Academy.

Senator Greg Ryberg (Aiken) - Senator Ryberg was first elected to the State Senate in 1993. Senator Ryberg serves as the Chairman of the Labor, Commerce, and Industry Committee. Ryberg is Chief Executive Officer of REI, Inc. With his wife Betty, he used to own a chain of convenience stores in South Carolina and Georgia. He is a graduate of Marquette University.

Background On South Carolina Finance Director:

Drea Byars Is A Republican Fundraising Consultant Based In Lexington, South Carolina. Over the last seven years, Drea has raised millions of dollars for South Carolina candidates and elected officials. She currently serves as State Finance Director for United States Senator Jim DeMint.

Governor Mitt Romney On Senator Craig Thomas

Tuesday, Jun 05, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Kevin Madden (857) 288-6390

Boston, MA – Today, Governor Mitt Romney issued the following statement on the passing of Senator Craig Thomas (R-WY):

"Ann and I extend our heartfelt prayers and deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Senator Craig Thomas. For over 20 years, he served the people of Wyoming and this nation with strong and principled leadership. Now is the time to remember a life spent in selfless service to the people of Wyoming."