By: Peter S. Canellos
The Boston Globe
Tuesday, Dec 12, 2006
Until very recently, Governor Mitt Romney has been a long shot preparing for a race - the Republican presidential primaries - that almost always goes to the favorite.
But through shrewd moves and good luck, Romney has steadily risen through the ranks of GOP prospects. Now, almost everyone in Republican politics ranks Romney as the second-likeliest nominee, behind Senator John McCain of Arizona.
...
The current Governor Romney needed strong backing early in the process to be taken seriously as a contender. Republicans don't like new faces, so Romney had to make himself familiar very quickly. He has done that, and more.
Last week, Romney was the runner-up to McCain in an exhaustive National Journal poll of Washington insiders. And McCain himself has validated the early soundings by crashing the annual convention of the Republican Governors Association, which Romney chaired. McCain knew that Romney's ties to Republican governors could give him thousands of foot soldiers in the primaries. It was a testament to the extent of Romney's support that McCain felt a need to intervene so early and so directly. ...