At the same time, allies also worked to lower expectations for a Romney victory in Minnesota. The state is unpredictable given its small, conservative electorate with a strong evangelical Christian component. And even though Romney won in Minnesota four years ago, advisers point out that he ran as the conservative alternative to John McCain, who then was the front-runner and eventually became the nominee in 2008.
"Mitt will be competitive but it's hard to tell who's going to be at the top of the pack," former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, a Romney supporter, said in a conference call with reporters. He said Minnesota GOP caucus-goers "tend to gravitate to the perceived most conservative candidate" and that Romney was "not perfect but conservative."
Romney campaigned in Minnesota a week ago but, in a sign he didn't expect to win, scrapped an appearance at a Minneapolis rally Monday morning in favor of campaigning in Colorado.
Asked if he expects to win in Minnesota, Romney told WCCO radio, "I sure hope so."
In the evening, Romney maintained a front-runner's posture and targeted only Obama at a rally in Centennial, Colo.
"He said he deserves a second term. Can you believe that?" Romney asked a crowd of almost 3,000 gathered at the Arapahoe High School. That was in response to Obama, who said Sunday during a nationally televised interview, "I deserve a second term, but we're not done."
As he had earlier in the day, Romney emphasized the "protection of life" as a core American value during the portion of his usual campaign speech that focuses on America's national hymns.
In a similar vein, Romney told conservative radio host Scott Hennen that he didn't think The Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast cancer charity should continue giving money to Planned Parenthood because it provides abortion services. The charity had announced it would cut funds to Planned Parenthood for breast cancer screening, then dropped those plans after a public backlash last week.
Gingrich, who also campaigned in Colorado on Monday, attacked Romney's record in Massachusetts and said he "basically accommodated liberal Democrats." He added that Romney isn't a person "who goes in there with a force of will" to change the status quo.
Gingrich has little organization in any of the states that vote this week and is instead looking ahead to the spate of Southern states that vote on Super Tuesday, March 6.
The former House speaker told hundreds at a rally in Bloomington, Minn., that the nation needs a stark choice for the fall and Romney doesn't offer one.
"This is the thing that is very hard for the Republican establishment to understand: You cannot stop the decay without very serious difficult, political conflict in Washington," Gingrich said.
Speaking at a rally before more than 1,500 supporters at the Minneapolis Convention Center, Paul called for ending U.S. military involvement around the world and limiting the spending and influence of the federal government. He said he's called dangerous by his critics because he wants to shake up the status quo.
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Elliott reported from Rochester, Minn. Shannon McCaffrey and Steve Peoples in Colorado, Brian Bakst in St. Paul, Minn., and Patrick Condon in Minneapolis contributed to this report.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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love of AL 10:12PM February 06, 2012
Bing of AL 8:06PM February 06, 2012