"The people of West Virginia have a great deal of faith in Sen. Manchin and Gov. Tomblin, and they know that these two men have done a great job leading West Virginia," Puccio said.
Puccio also held out hope that West Virginia voters will see Romney as out of touch. Manchin said he already views Romney that way "especially because of his plan to end Medicare as we know it and privatize Social Security."
Romney has proposed subsidies to help future retirees buy private insurance or let them choose traditional Medicare, with a gradually increasing age to qualify for benefits. As for Social Security, Romney has said he would keep the program as-is for people 55 and over but would raise the retirement age for full benefits for the next generations of retirees by one or two years and reduce inflation increases in benefits for wealthier recipients.
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