Romney Pledges To Raise His Profile

By WILLIAM MARCH The Tampa Tribune

Published: Aug 7, 2007

TAMPA - Mitt Romney has the money and the political organization to be a front-runner in the Florida's Republican presidential primary, and now, he told a crowd in Tampa on Monday night, he's going after the public support.

Romney answered half a dozen questions from a crowd of 300 or more at La Teresita restaurant in West Tampa in an "Ask Mitt Anything" meeting, his first campaign event in Tampa open to the public.

Romney used their questions to emphasize his campaign themes: Democrats are weak on the war on terrorism, the military should be expanded and taxes cut, and as a successful businessman, he can change the climate in Washington.

But Romney also acknowledged that while he's running strongly in the crucial early states of Iowa and New Hampshire, he hasn't made the same dent among Republican voters in Florida.

With its primary moved up to an early spot, Jan. 29, Florida has also become a crucial state. It could be the earliest large state to hold a presidential primary.

Romney has raised about $1.9 million in Florida, as much as former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and more than Arizona Sen. John McCain. He has recruited a strong group of big-name supporters and paid staff, led by former Lt. Gov. Toni Jennings.

But in polls of Florida GOP voters, Romney is in single digits.

"I'm not terribly well-known yet in Florida," he told the crowd. "That's going to change. … You're going to see a lot of me in Florida."

Romney has made about 200 appearances in Iowa, but this is only his 12th trip to Florida, said his Florida campaign director, Mandy Fletcher.

On this trip, Romney also held town hall-style events in Daytona Beach and Melbourne. It's one of the first trips during which he has exclusively done public events rather than private fundraisers.

That change, Fletcher said, will boost his poll numbers.

"He started his campaign without the name identification of a Rudy Giuliani or John McCain," she said. "They started as national figures. In the next few months, you'll see the numbers start to move as we introduce him to more Floridians."

But Romney's opponents won't let him do so unopposed.

Seeking to steal thunder from Romney's Tampa appearance, Giuliani chose Monday to announce an important endorsement, from former governor and Tampa mayor Bob Martinez.

Romney also faces continuing criticism from GOP primary opponents about his shifting positions on issues including abortion.

In 1994, he ran for the U.S. Senate as a moderate, emphasizing his support for abortion rights and gay rights.

But in Monday's Melbourne gathering, Romney rated himself a perfect "10" as a conservative along with Ronald Reagan.

The son of former GOP political figure and automotive executive George Romney, Mitt Romney became a multimillionaire in his own right by succeeding with a management consulting and venture capital firm.

"In the private sector, things either get better or you go out of business," he said at the Tampa gathering. "I've spent my life in the private sector. If we've ever needed to see things get better in Washington, it's now."

He said he wants to extend the Bush tax cuts and permanently end the inheritance tax.

The greatest danger the nation faces, he said, is "the threat of radical and violent jihad. … There will be a war waged on them if I am president, or if a Republican is president."

The gathering ended after Romney took only six questions from the audience, partly because of a late start and partly because air conditioning problems left much of the meeting room stifling.

Some questions and answers:

•Corky Stern of Largo, agreeing that the military's size should be increased, asked whether Romney favors reinstituting the draft. Romney said no but said the nation can recruit 100,000 troops by offering free college tuition.

•Donna Arsenault of San Antonio asked whether he favors the "fair tax" proposal, which would replace the income tax, inheritance tax and capital gains tax with a sales tax of about 23 percent. Romney said that may not be feasible, but "I like the idea of tax simplification and modification."

•Fred Hammelffahr of Bradenton Shores asked how Social Security can be made financially sound for future generations. "Modest changes in the program today would allow us to do that," Romney replied, but he said changes will require bipartisan cooperation.

•In answer to a question about Iraq, Romney said the U.S. military "did a spectacular job of knocking down Saddam Hussein," but the U.S. effort in the aftermath was "drastically understaffed, unprepared for what developed and undermanned." He said the troop buildup "has a very reasonable chance of succeeding," and pulling out would be dangerous.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. Reporter William March can be reached at wmarch@tampatrib.com or (813) 259-7761.