Mitt Romney, the squeaky clean Mormon from Massachusetts, opted for a radically different setting for his final rally before Thursday’s Republican presidential debate in Florida.
His supporters crammed into a side room at Bogart’s Bar above a luxury cinema in Boca Raton. Several were drinking cocktails, adding to a surprisingly festive atmosphere that has suddenly enveloped the much-mocked Romney campaign.
It was not the only Romney surprise to shake up the Republican race last week. Of three opinion polls published in Florida on Thursday and Friday, Romney was four points ahead in two and only two points behind Senator John McCain in the third.
The polls also confirmed a dramatic slide by Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York, who once led the Florida race by 20 points....
At Bogart’s on Thursday it became clear that despite his reputation for flip-flopping whenever he senses political advantage, Romney is attracting new support from Republicans who are beginning to tilt his way after flirting with other candidates.
“I really liked Guliani as mayor,” said Sandra Vargas, one of many transplanted New Yorkers living in Florida. “But I think Romney now looks presidential in a way that Rudy doesn’t.”
Also in the crowd was Mark Garvin, in an “I’m with Fred” T-shirt. When Fred Thompson, the former senator, dropped out of the race last week, Garvin considered other candidates. “I looked at Giuliani, but his poll numbers are garbage,” he said. “I don’t consider McCain a real Republican, so I guess I’m leaning towards Romney.”
The raucous atmosphere of the cinema bar was in marked contrast to the sombre auditorium in West Palm Beach where McCain was trawling for votes.
When the Romney family marched triumphantly into Bogart’s last week, it was impossible not to be dazzled.
full story, click here: Mitt Romney rides a late surge
source: UK Times Online
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