Romney tries to put PA in play
Norfolk, Virginia (CNN) –In a late campaign push to change the battleground map, Mitt Romney will travel to Pennsylvania on Sunday in the hopes of capturing the traditionally Democratic-leaning state. A Romney campaign official confirmed to CNN the GOP nominee will stop in the Philadelphia area Sunday afternoon.
The Pennsylvania event falls into the Romney campaign's newly adopted strategy of expanding the battleground map in the final week of the race. Top strategists to the GOP nominee targeted Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Minnesota this week for potential gains, pointing to polls in the states that show Romney gaining on the President.
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A Franklin and Marshall College poll released Wednesday, for example, indicated President Obama Obama had a 49%-45% edge over his Republican opponent.
Romney's campaign began purchasing air time in the state this week–a move that was countered by Obama's team. The campaign also announced Rep. Paul Ryan, Romney's running mate, will be traveling to Middletown, Pennsylvania on Saturday.
The Obama campaign immediately scoffed at Romney's Pennsylvania trip as an "act of desperation."
"Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan are going all in Pennsylvania, following the lead of every Republican presidential candidate since 1992 who have made last ditch investments in the Keystone State. Not one of them carried the state," Obama campaign northeast regional press secretary Michael Czin said in a statement.
The Romney campaign instantly fired back, accusing the president's re-election advisers of reacting from a "defensive crouch."
"We are looking at an expanded map, while the Obama campaign is pouring resources into states that were supposed to be safe for them," a Romney campaign official said.
"I totally understand why Chicago is freaking out, but I just thought they'd be better at hiding it," the official added.
In the final days before the 2008 election, then GOP nominee John McCain and his running mate, former Alaska governor Sarah Palin made campaign stops in Pennsylvania with similar hopes but to no avail.
In a strategy memo, Romney campaign officials referred to recent comments made by former Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell who said Democrats could let down their guards in the state, opening up the possibility of a "startling upset."
Former Pennsylvania governor Tom Ridge, a Romney surrogate, predicted the GOP nominee would win the state in an interview on Fox News Thursday.
Romney's upcoming visit to Pennsylvania was first reported by The Daily.
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Romney will win !
What? Romney isn't even bothering to visit NJ Where the disaster is? I guess the other 47% victims of the hurricane isn't getting any love from the man with a 100 million dollar IRA account.
he thinks he can gain 5% with a visit? lol he will need to tell much better lies than he has been
The obly thing Romney will ever be is the Giant Liar in Chief.
Mitt the twit is already done and he knows it. He is just going thru the motions. I wonder if Adelson and the Koch Bros will want thier millions back from Romney
We hate that liar Romney in PA.
We voted Obama in 2008.
Mittens & Ryan you have my vote.
I will join Obama just like Bloomberg.
Snowballs chance in hell
Apparently, he's really banking on the super storm driving down votes in Philly and whatever suppression attempts they tried before the court ruling paying off.
This just shows how desperate Romney is. The English bookmakers give his victory in Pennsylvania 7 to 1. Obama will win reelection by about 60-65 electoral votes.
Why is this surprising? Both parties are trying to put their best spin on things to try to get out the vote, especially the crucial battleground states. You'd hardly expect them to say, "naw, this state is a write off", would you?
Fabulous! Lets paint the blue states Red. Way to go!
Romney is a good man with talents and expertise that will help this great nation.
GO ROMNEY ! You have one democrat voting for you.
I don't get it. Why would going to a state make you more likely to vote for that candidate. Under that rational, all other states the candidates have not visited should not be voting for either one.
The president has lead in both states for the entire year. Seems rather odd that two states he is neck and neck with pres he would just abandon for a long long long long shot
Got Romnesia?
I hope the Romney campaign repeats the lying theme of his Ohio ads about Jeeps being made in China.
You know the ads that have drawn stinging rebukes from major auto company officials (whom I suspect are Republicans).
He'll say anything to win the Presidency, including misstating his original opposition to helping out the auto companies.
Maybe he'll take about his proposed tax cuts for the wealthy, which the non-partisan Congressional Research Service (CRS) just reported only will concentrate more financial benefits in the wealthiest American families and do little to move the economy or create jobs.
Capitol Hill Republicans have admitted that they tried to kill that report but it got leaked today.
You have five more days to BS Mitt, by then your nose should exceed Pinocchio's!!
Run, Mitt, run!
Like a boxer losing by too many points to catch up on the cards, Romney is looking for the miracle haymaker in the last round. Perhaps it was the sound of his campaign circling the toilet bowl that prompted the move...
Desperation LMBO. this is not a horse race its a sad affair. But news networks need ratings and Obama is kicking butt and taking names. FORWARD WE GO
Maybe because the power's out in the Democratic areas of the state? He's preying on weakness caused by the storm.
Hope they see him for the liar he is and realize that he would not be a good president for the middle class, only fr the rich.
He can try all the GOP stunts he wants, including bring Palin back on the podium, and say some more silly stuff, but as long as he stays anachronistic, incoherent, flip-flopping from one side to the other, and refuses to lay out all the cards on the table, no one will vote for him. Any scoops on when his tax records will become public ?...we just have a few days now....