Mitt Romney endorsed by Des Moines Register
Mitt Romney was endorsed tonight by the Des Moines Register, potentially giving the former Massachusetts governor a boost in a key state while also raising the expectations that Romney’s campaign all year has been eager to tamp down.
With just over two weeks before the Iowa caucuses, the endorsement from the state’s largest newspaper could help Romney in central Iowa, an area where the he didn’t fare as well four years ago. It could also curb some of the momentum that Romney’s rivals in the state – particularly Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul – have captured in recent weeks.
“While other candidates have pandered to extremes with attacks on the courts and sermons on Christian values, Romney has pointedly refrained from reckless rhetoric and moralizing,’’ the paper’s editorial board wrote. “He may be accused of being too cautious, but choosing words carefully is a skill essential for anyone who could be sitting in the White House and reacting to world events.’’
The paper called Gingrich, who has been leading in the polls in Iowa, “an undisciplined partisan who would alienate, not unite, if he reverts to mean-spirited attacks on display as House speaker.’’ It said Paul, who has also gained traction in Iowa, had an ideology that “would lead to economic chaos and isolationism, neither of which this nation can afford.’’
The editorial was accompanied by the sketch of Romney looking off into the distance, with an American flag and the White House behind him. It hailed his “sobriety, wisdom and judgment’’ and called him “a serious student of public policy’’ by noting the 127 footnotes in his economic plan.
The editorial did take note of positions that Romney has shifted, saying “he has evolved from one-time independent to moderate Republican in liberal Massachusetts to proud conservative today.’’
“Though Romney has tended to adapt some positions to different times and places, he is hardly unique,’’ the editorial said. “It should be possible for a politician to say, ‘I was wrong, and I have changed my mind.’’’
“Romney at least appreciates both sides of hard questions,’’ it added.
Romney’s campaign sent out portions of the editorial tonight, but left out those sections.
The Des Moines Register four years ago endorsed Senator John McCain, who placed fourth in the state but later went on to win the nomination.
Romney was also endorsed tonight by the Oklahoman, a paper that circulates in western Iowa.
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