Romney Campaigns for Thune

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Fundraiser last night in South Dakota
See photo here of Romney and Sen Thune press conference
via Twitter/JohnThune

From Argus Leader:

Both Sen. John Thune and former Massachusetts Governor and 2008 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney looked campaign-ready under the television lights at a Friday press conference in Sioux Falls.

Both, though, insisted the campaign at hand is Thune's re-election bid this year and not the prelude to a possible presidential run for either of them in 2012.

"I'm running for the Senate," Thune said.

Justin Brasell, Thune's campaign manager, said the event's target was $50,000...

Thune and Romney drove home a theme of restoring conservative principles of limited spending and using the private sector to create jobs, and Romney echoed Thune's claim that the Troubled Asset Relief Program should not be treated as a revolving loan fund or a slush fund for lawmakers' pet projects.

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At CPAC, Romney saw firsthand the ideological debate sparked by Tea Party activists that Republican candidates this year must somehow get their arms around.

Romney said as a Republican he was heartened by the lively discourse. "It suggests a level of energy not seen in a long time. I like that."

He also predicted the party will be able to accommodate all its factions by the November election.

"We recognize that splintering means losing. There is too much at stake not to come together," Romney said.

Thune added that ultimately voters will be more influenced by competent leaders than ideology.

"People want leaders who solve problems," [Thune] said, leaders whose solutions "reflect conservative principles."