Mitt Romney camp tries to avoid Barack Obama mistake of 2008 in New Hampshire
SALEM, N.H. —Four years ago, coming off a big win in Iowa, then-Senator Barack Obama came to New Hampshire confident. He drew huge crowds, forcing supporters to wait hours in the cold to catch a glimpse. His speeches were well received, and the energy around his campaign was clear. But by election day, voters seemed to deliver a message to Obama: not so fast.
Instead, they gave Hillary Clinton new life and dealt Obama a setback that prolonged the race.
Mitt Romney’s team has studied that campaign as a cautionary tale. They are the front-runner that doesn’t want to appear as one in a state that likes to surprise. They are planning some weekend rallies, but so far have focused on town hall meetings and smaller events, hoping it allows voters to ask questions and have more personal interactions.
Tomorrow, after a brief sojourn to South Carolina, Romney is planning the most basic of retail events: a spaghetti dinner in Tilton.
“[Obama] just went out and gave these big speeches,’’ said Stuart Stevens, a top Romney adviser. “We’re trying to do smaller, more gritty. Real.’’
The crowds for Romney so far have not been overwhelming, which could indicate a lack of enthusiasm for Romney. But the former Massachusetts governor’s advisers say it is partly by design. They also like when voters challenge Romney.
“It doesn’t matter if some guy gets up from Occupy,’’ Stevens said, referring to the movement that rails against corporate greed and a pointed question Romney got in Manchester on Wednesday afternoon. “It’s great, we don’t care. That’s the whole thing, it’s not a staged event, it’s not an Obama bubble. That’s good. That’s how they want it in New Hampshire.’’
Romney, who squeaked by with an 8-vote victory in Iowa, didn’t come to New Hampshire with the same bounce as Obama. But the Romney campaign believes it can shorten the primary race significantly by winning the first two states.
“No [GOP] candidate ever has done what we have a chance to do, which is win Iowa and New Hampshire in a competitive situation,’’ said Tom Rath, a senior Romney aide in New Hampshire. “There’s a reason they’ve never done it, because it’s hard…No one’s done this. No one’s ever, ever done it. And that’s a big deal. History is not easily made.’’
“We have these silly buttons that say, ‘Earn it,’ but we talk a great deal internally about it,’’ Rath said in an interview. “We don’t want to fall prey by looking like the front-runner.’’
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