Can Anything Stop Mitt Romney? >
A Forward-Looking Mitt Romney Can Seal the Deal in Next Primaries
It is unlikely other GOP candidates have organization or money to stop Romney
January 11, 2012
About Ron Bonjean:
Ron Bonjean is a partner with Singer Bonjean Strategies and the owner of the Bonjean Company, both full service public affairs firms. He was chief of staff for the Senate Republican Conference under Sen. Jon Kyl.
The Mitt Romney campaign snowball is quickly growing, historically taking New Hampshire and Iowa. It is unlikely that any of the Republican candidates have the organization or the fundraising capacity to stop Romney in South Carolina and Florida.
Former Sen. Rick Santorum and former Gov. Jon Huntsman placed in the top three in Iowa and New Hampshire respectively because they decided to make them their second homes. Looking at Santorum, his campaign failed to place in New Hampshire because he put all of his cards on the table in Iowa. The same outcome is likely for Huntsman because he is viewed as a more liberal Republican heading to very conservative South Carolina.
[See pictures of the 2012 GOP candidates.]
The only thing that can stop Mitt Romney now is Romney himself. The "I like being able to fire people" comments he made were taken completely out of context and used against him. He successfully beat them back in New Hampshire, but now has to contend with the Gingrich Super PAC in South Carolina funding ads regarding his stewardship of Bain Capital.
How Romney responds to the South Carolina attack ads will either help or hurt him. So far, he has correctly used a disappointed tone against attacks before the New Hampshire primary. However, by acknowledging the attacks against him during his victory speech, he has telegraphed that his campaign is sensitive to them and that they can have devastating impact.
A positive, forward-looking Romney who promises to take the fight to Obama while expressing disappointment against "unfair" attack ads will help him seal the deal in other primary states.
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- Other Arguments
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#1286
No — None of the other GOP candidates is likely to make it past Florida
DAVID CROCKETT, Author of 'Running Against the Grain: How Opposition Candidates Win Presidential Elections'
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#2154
No — With steady campaign, Romney limits foes' chances to rally against him
ROB COLLINS, Former Chief of Staff for Majority Leader Eric Cantor
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#2187
Yes — If S.C. knocks out Perry, Santorum, or Gingrich, conservatives could coalesce behind a Non-Romney
MATTHEW DICKINSON, Professor at Middlebury College
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#4113
No — As his New Hampshire speech shows, Mitt Romney knows the nomination contest is over
FERGUS CULLEN, Former Chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Party
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#5114
Yes — Nothing can stop him in the primaries, but GOP issues with race will not go away
SIMON ROSENBERG, President and Founder of NDN
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#6104
Yes — The damage Romney's GOP rivals do in the primary will only bloody him to be defeated in the general election
KRYSTAL BALL, Former Democratic Nominee for Congress
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#818
Yes — United base must remind Republican voters of Mitt Romney's liberal past
JUDSON PHILLIPS, Founder of Tea Party Nation
