The Oklahoman Endorses Mitt Romney

The Oklahoman endorsement

Voices | Published: Sun, Dec 18, 2011 | 0

 

 

In 2008, we were among the voices of the Heartland that warned of the perils of a Barack Obama presidency. These were voices crying in the wilderness. County by county, until all 77 were included, Oklahomans rejected the rhetoric of hope and change peddled by Obama.

Read more: http://newsok.com#ixzz1gs29yZRS.

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Ron Paul Surges In Iowa, Challenges Gingrich

From The Hill ~ Newt Gingrich’s onetime 9-point lead over the GOP field in Iowa is down to 1 point, and it’s Ron Paul who's breathing down his neck.

Gingrich is at 22 percent, according to a Public Policy Poll released on Tuesday. He’s followed by Paul at 21 percent, Mitt Romney at 16 percent, Michele Bachmann at 11 percent, Rick Perry at 9 percent, Rick Santorum at 8 percent, Jon Huntsman at 5 percent, and Gary Johnson at 1 percent.

Gingrich’s favorability with Tea Party supporters plummeted this week from 35 percent to 24 percent, bringing his overall favorability down from 62 percent favorable versus 31 percent unfavorable, to only 52 percent favorable versus 40 percent unfavorable.

Paul’s favorability numbers meanwhile, were almost the inverse of Gingrich’s. The Texas lawmaker is now at 61 percent favorable versus 31 percent unfavorable, compared to last week when he was at 52 percent favorable and 38 percent unfavorable.

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Gingrich Continues Lead, But....

From The Hill ~ Newt Gingrich has sustained his surprising rise in the polls for more than a month, and a slew of new state polling data has cemented the former House Speaker as the GOP’s leading candidate for the nomination.

Of the four early-voting states, polling shows Gingrich leading in three of them — Iowa, South Carolina and Florida — and gaining ground in New Hampshire.

But the polls also show that a majority of voters are undecided, meaning Gingrich could face the reality that has plagued so many other GOP contenders — what goes up could also come down.

In Iowa, which is first to vote, with its Jan. 3 caucuses, Gingrich leads with 22 percent, according to an American Research Group poll of likely caucus-goers released on Monday.

Mitt Romney and Ron Paul both came in at 17 percent, followed by Rick Perry at 13, Michele Bachmann and Rick Santorum at 7 percent and Jon Huntsman at 5 percent.

Only two months ago, Gingrich was an afterthought in the Hawkeye State, at 8 percent.

Still, the race for Iowa is tight, and traditional wisdom says a candidate needs a strong ground game in order to turn out voters. Gingrich just opened a small campaign office in Iowa two weeks ago and has considerably softer support in the state than a candidate like Paul.

In addition, some say a surprise candidate like Perry, Bachmann or Santorum could outperform on caucus day if Iowa voters come out in favor of a candidate they view as a strong Christian conservative.

That voting bloc tends to dominate the caucuses, and propelled former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to victory in the 2008 contest.

Gingrich also leads in South Carolina and Florida, the third and fourth states to vote, according to a NBC News-Marist poll released Monday.

The former Speaker leads Romney 28 percent to 22 among South Carolina’s likely Republican primary voters, with all other candidates in the single digits.

In Florida, Gingrich has the largest lead among candidates in any state, battering Romney 39 percent to 26, according to the poll.

Gingrich is highly popular with the older voters who make up a large part of the Republican electorate in Florida. And perhaps surprisingly for a candidate who is so closely tied to Washington, Gingrich is buoyed by Tea Party support in South Carolina.

New Hampshire is the only one of the first four early-voting states where Gingrich doesn’t lead. Romney is widely viewed to have an advantage in the Granite State because of its proximity to Massachusetts. The former Massachusetts governor also owns a home in New Hampshire.

But here too Gingrich is closing the gap, within 10 points of Romney, according to a CNN-Time-ORC poll released last week. Gingrich campaigned in New Hampshire on Monday and debated rival Jon Huntsman in Hollis, N.H., on Monday evening.

Gingrich has also opened up a lead nationally, beating Romney 33 percent to 23, according to Gallup’s Daily Tracking poll. Gingrich has maintained a double-digit lead in the poll since Dec. 1.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that the rest of the Republican field views Gingrich as the front-runner as well. The candidates went after the former Speaker hard at Saturday night’s debate in Des Moines, criticizing him for being a career politician and for his multiple marriages.

However, in a Republican nomination process that has seen Perry, Bachmann, Cain and Donald Trump all spend time at the top of the polls, a lot could change.

According to the CNN-Time-ORC poll, 55 percent of voters in Iowa and South Carolina said they were open to changing their minds, while 53 percent of Florida voters and 48 percent of New Hampshire voters said the same.

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Gallup: Gingrich Widens Lead Over Romney

Newt Gingrich widened his lead over Mitt Romney to 14 points in the first Gallup daily national poll to completely exclude ex-rival Herman Cain.

The poll, which took a five-day rolling average of registered Republicans between December 4th and December 8th, shows Gingrich in the lead at 37 percent, followed by Romney at 23 percent.

In the previous poll, which automatically assigned Cain’s votes to his supporters’ second choice, Gingrich took 34 percent compared to Romney’s 25 percent.

This seems to back up the findings of a number of polls taken while Cain was still in the race, which said Cain supporters preferred Gingrich as their second choice.

Cain suspended his campaign last Saturday, saying that allegations of sexual harassment and infidelity against him were hurting his family.

All of the other candidates remained relatively flat.

Ron Paul took 9 percent, Rick Perry 6 percent, Michele Bachmann 6 percent, Rick Santorum 2 percent, and Jon Hunstman 1 percent.
It’s the latest poll to show Gingrich either neck and neck or ahead of Romney for the Republican presidential nomination.

The Gingrich surge has sustained its momentum despite the other GOP candidates, most notably Paul, having turned their sights on the former House Speaker, as well as a number of Gingrich’s former colleagues who have come out to blast him in the press.

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Gingrich Has Lead In Three Early-Vote States

Newt Gingrich holds double-digit leads over the rest of the Republican presidential field in Iowa, South Carolina and Florida – three of the first four states that will vote in primaries or caucuses this January, according to a CNN-Time-ORC poll released on Wednesday.

In Iowa, Gingrich leads Mitt Romney 33 percent to 20 percent, in South Carolina he leads Romney 43 percent to 20 percent, and Gingrich performs best in Florida, where he leads Romney 48 percent to 25 percent.

Romney still leads the field in New Hampshire, where some say his time as governor of neighboring Massachusetts gives him a significant home-field advantage, although Gingrich is closing in there too. Romney leads Gingrich 35 percent to 26 percent in the Granite State.

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Ron Paul Wins Oklahoma GOP Straw Poll

Texas Congressman Ron Paul won the Oklahoma Republican Party's online straw poll in impressive fashion with 46 percent of the votes cast.

The results:
Ron Paul - 46%
Herman Cain - 25%
Newt Gingrich - 17%
Mitt Romney - 6%
Rick Perry - 3%
Michele Bachmann - 2%
Rick Santorum - 1%
Gary Johnson - less than 1%

Voting in the poll was limited to those donating $5 to the state party.

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Ron Paul On The Rise In Iowa; He's No. 2

From The Des Moines Register ~ With the dizzying fall of Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich has stepped into the breach and now stands alone as the most popular GOP presidential candidate in The Des Moines Register’s new Iowa Poll.

Gingrich, with support of 25 percent of likely Republican caucusgoers, is seven points ahead of the rising Ron Paul, who’s at 18 percent. Mitt Romney drops to third, at 16 percent, denting his previously armor-plated Iowa polling average. Romney’s support stood at 22 percent last month.

Cain, who suspended his campaign Saturday, had plunged from 23 percent to 8 percent in just over a month, tied with Michele Bachmann.

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Romney Endorses McCain, Releases Delegates

PROVIDENCE, R.I. ~ Mitt Romney, John McCain's former chief rival for the Republican presidential nomination, endorsed the Arizona senator today.

Romney made the endorsement at his campaign headquarters in Boston and released his 280 delegates and asked them to support McCain.

The former Massachusetts governor dropped out of the race last week after it became apparent that toppling McCain would be near impossible given his lead in the hunt for convention delegates.

Romney made his decision on Thursday, one official said, in hopes of helping McCain get the delegates he needs to secure the Republican Party nod and unite the GOP while Democrats continue to battle for their own nomination. The endorsement came together quickly.

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Balkman Reacts To Romney's Decision

Mitt Romney's top Oklahoma representative, former State Rep. Thad Balkman (seated, second from left, in this photo of Romney in Norman), issued this statement today after The McCarville Report Online asked for his reaction to Romney's suspension of his presidential campaign:

I’m disappointed by the announcement of Governor Romney’s suspending his campaign. And while he has now stepped aside, I am pleased that he was successful in calling attention to conservative principles of free enterprise and family values – much like another former governor did in his unsuccessful bid in taking on the Republican establishment back in 1976. As our nominee, I hope Senator McCain will champion these conservative values and I will cast my vote in support of him. Like Governor Romney mentioned earlier today, while he and Senator McCain differed on a number of issues, on the issue of confronting radical jihadism and winning the war on terrorism, we are united and we cannot let Senator Obama or Senator Clinton in the White House and implement their retreat and defeat policy.

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Bunny Chambers Endorses Mitt Romney

Oklahoma Republican National Committeewoman Bunny Chambers has announced
her endorsement of Mitt Romney.

Chambers, a longtime conservative activist, has years of experience working in Oklahoma politics.

"From the grassroots level to the leadership of the Republican Party, Committeewoman Chambers has
been a strong Republican leader over much of the last three decades. Her knowledge of Oklahoma politics will be critical as we approach the primary on February 5th. I look forward to working with her in the months ahead as we advance our campaign to change Washington," said Romney.

Chambers added, "Governor Romney has had an impressive career of bringing change to troubled institutions. That is leadership we need in Washington today. The people of Oklahoma want a leader who will bring change and that leader is Governor Romney. I am proud to support his candidacy and encourage all my fellow Republicans in Oklahoma to cast their vote for Governor Romney."

Chambers Has Served As Oklahoma's Republican National Committeewoman Since 1996.
She currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Republican State Committee of Oklahoma.
She has also held numerous positions on the grassroots level in her precinct and House District.
Chambers has been a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1988, 1996, 2000 and 2004.

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Romney Claims NRA Endorsement He Didn't Get

From The Huffington Post ~ Maybe it was the pressure of the moment. Being under the Tim Russert spotlight can get to anyone. Under Russert's grilling about guns on this morning's "Meet the Press," former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney claimed an endorsement he'd never won.

In answer to questions about whether he would sign an assault weapons ban, Romney said: "Just as the president said, he would have, he would have signed that bill if it came to his desk, and so would have I. And, and, and yet I also was pleased to have the support of the NRA when I ran for governor. I sought it, I seek it now. I'd love to have their support."

(The NRA did not support Romney in his race for governor; his opponent had an "A" NRA rating; Romney had a "B" rating.)

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Romney Gives Balkman Expanded Campaign Role

The Mitt Romney for President campaign announced today that former State Rep. Thad Balkman has been given an expanded role and is now political director for the Oklahoma statewide campaign. Balkman, who has been assisting Romney in the state, will work to expand Romney's grassroots efforts throughout the state, and will help communicate his message of conservative change in Washington.

Romney for President's National Political Director Carl Forti said, "Mr. Balkman is an excellent addition to our team in Oklahoma. We are pleased that he will be volunteering his time to help organize our campaign efforts at the grassroots level. Our campaign is committed to Oklahoma and we are excited that Mr. Balkman will bring his political experience and leadership to our campaign."

Balkman said, "Governor Romney is the only candidate in this race who has the proven record to lead America forward as we face a new generation of global challenges. He has extensive experience in problem solving and has governed with principled leadership. Mitt Romney is the only candidate who will bring conservative values back to Washington. I am proud to join his Oklahoma campaign."

Balkman served in the Oklahoma State Legislature From 2000 To 2006. He now serves as executive director of Oklahoma's "100 Ideas Initiative," a plan led by House Speaker Lance Cargill to spark innovation for Oklahoma's second century.

During the 50th legislature he was selected as Majority Caucus Chairman and the Chairman of the Appropriations and Budget Subcommittee on Health & Social Services. His efforts in opposition to tax hikes earned Balkman recognition as "Friend of the Taxpayers" by Grover Norquist's Americans for Tax Relief. Balkman is also active on social issues and was responsible for creating the "Choose Life" license plate, the sales of which go to help unborn babies, pregnant women and the counseling centers that serve them. Balkman is a licensed attorney and is the Vice President of External Relations and General Counsel for Phoenix Motorcars, an industry leader of battery electric, freeway speed vehicles.

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Romney's Man Weyrich Goes Nasty On Thompson

Fred Thompson's campaign lashed out at Mitt Romney Wednesday after one of Romney's key supporters suggested Thompson's recent endorsement by the anti-abortion National Right to Life Committee was traded for cash.

In an article in The Washington Times on Wednesday, Paul Weyrich, the socially conservative co-founder of the Moral Majority who is backing Romney for president, is quoted saying that Thompson's endorsement from NRLC "makes no sense" and speculated that it had been motivated by a pecuniary relationship. "I think in all probability the Thompson people were engaged with the National Right to Life people in financial dealing," Weyrich told the newspaper.

Weyrich offered no proof of his assertion.

An NRLC spokesman denied the accusation, saying it is "false."

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Towery Examines Role Of Romney's Faith

Matt Towery of the Southern Political Report is out with a column on Mitt Romney's religion that focuses on John F. Kennedy's struggle with his Catholic faith in 1960 and how Romney's Mormon faith might play out in the 2008 presidential race. He concludes that, "From my own and others' experience, I've come to believe that a presidential candidate's religion is usually thought to be a bigger deal with voters than it really is." Read all of Towery's column here.

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Romney Oklahoma Campaign Tackles Mormon Issue

Leaders of Republican Mitt Romney's campaign in Oklahoma are today circulating a memo that, among things, addresses resistance to Romney from some conservative Christians because he is a Mormon. Thad Balkman, former State House member from Norman who is working on Romney's behalf, sent an email on the subject.

The memo is from public relations strategist Mark DeMoss, who wrote, "As a Southern Baptist evangelical and political conservative, I am convinced I have more in common with most Mormons than I do with a liberal Southern Baptist, Methodist, Roman Catholic or a liberal from any other denomination or faith group. The question shouldn’t be, 'could I vote for a Mormon,' but, 'could I vote for this Mormon? After all, Mitt told me there are Mormons he couldn’t vote for (I presume Harry Reid, for example); and there are Southern Baptists I couldn’t vote for (Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, to name a few)."

Read the entire memo at http://hughhewitt.townhall.com/blog/g/62b0dd8d-fc86-4669-a254-7288402a7573

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SC Poll: Romney's Religion A Problem

From The Southern Political Report ~ Forty-five percent of likely South Carolina Republican primary voters say they are less likely to vote for Mitt Romney next January because he is a Mormon, according to the latest InsiderAdvantage/Majority Opinion poll. Read the story here.

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Jones: Romney Visit Wasn't Long Enough

From NewsRadio 1000 KTOK ~ The visit last week to Oklahoma by GOP Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney wasn't long enough to suit Gary Jones, the State Republican party chairman.

Romney stopped in Oklahoma City last week for 3 hours, long enough to have lunch privately with 50 supporters who contributed up to $2,300 each for the Skirvin Hotel event.

By 3pm, he was gone and made no public appearances. Not long enough, according to Jones and he wants other candidates to remember.

"From the party standpoint, we wish they'd spend a little more time, visit with the voters and visit with the Republicans," said Jones in an interview on KTOK's 1st News with Reid Mullins. "They're gonna have to win the delegate votes in order to be the nominee and not just pick up checks on the way in and out."

Ben Odom, a Democratic party executive, agreed and said it opens the door to any second tier presidential candidate to win the state: "You've got states like Oklahoma where if anyone comes in here, they could pick up Oklahoma just by being here and being on the ground and being seen in Pauls Valley, Purcell and Edmond."

"Ben's right," added Jones. "The Democrats, if somebody gets 30%, they get 30% of the delegates. In Oklahoma, if you get the most, you get the delegates."

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Romney's Strange, Silent Trip To Oklahoma City

From NewsRadio 1000 KTOK ~ Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, seeking the Republican presidential nomination, slipped quietly into Oklahoma City on Thursday but avoided publicity.

A spokeswoman at Romney's campaign headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts confirmed to KTOK that Romney was in Oklahoma City, but "there won't be any public or press availability."

The spokeswoman declined to say where Romney was in the city and would not offer any more details of his quiet visit to Oklahoma. A press spokesman later indicated that the visit was for a private fundraiser. His visit is fresh off the Tuesday night GOP Presidential debate at which time former U.S. Senator Fred Thompson took part for the first occasion. One of those attending the event, former Republican Congressman Ernest Istook, confirmed it was a fundraiser at the Skirvin Hotel. The cost to attend started at $500 a plate and about 50 to 100 supporters were expected.

(The Oklahoman's Michael McNutt managed to get some quotes during Romney's visit, but noted the fundraiser was closed to the press.)

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Romney Plans Return To Oklahoma October 11th

Mitt Romney brings his Republican presidential campaign back to Oklahoma on October 11th with a fundraiser at the Skirvin Hotel in Oklahoma City, local supporters announced today. The event is a $500 per person luncheon with a host reception at 12:15 for a donation of $2,300 per couple, followed by photo ops for $1,000 per couple. For more information, contact Hayley Thompson at hayley@sagaconline.com or 866.521.0900

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SC Insider: 'Huckabee, The GOP's New Rising Star'

By Lee Bandy, South Carolina Insider, posted on Hastings Wyman's Southern Political Report ~ Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee was strolling down Main Street in York, S.C., last Tuesday wearing a huge grin on his face.

The Republican presidential hopeful was riding a crest of positive media stories following his better than expected showing in the Ames, Iowa straw poll two weeks ago.

Today, Huckabee is a step closer to being a top-tier GOP presidential candidate, giving his campaign new energy and hope. In York County, Republicans turned out in large numbers to greet the rising Republican star.

Many had been longing for a candidate – a true conservative -- they could back with enthusiasm. They weren’t happy with their current choices. The top three – former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona, and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney – were suspect. And they weren’t sure they could trust former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee, who is expected to jump in the race after Labor Day.

Huckabee walked into the Palmetto Room on York’s Main Street, which was brimming with local Republicans anxious to see the new celebrity and hear what he had to say. He wasn’t prepared for the raucous reception he got. They gave him a hero’s welcome. The applause and cheers were deafening. They never seemed to end. Buoyed by the response, Huckabee charmed his audience for the next 30 minutes with his jokes, down home personality and resume. He also let them know he is a different kind of Republican, one who comes from humble beginnings – a working class family. His interests and priorities are allied with working people, he said.

He said, in an interview, that if Republicans have any hope of winning the election, they are going to have to reach out to voters beyond the GOP: “We can’t win without our base (conservative Christians),, and we can’t win if all we have is our base,” Huckabee said.

He also said Republicans cannot win the presidency if the party’s interests are aligned more with Wall Street than Main Street; “I’m convinced if we come across as a wholly owned subsidiary of Wall Street, we’re going to lose. We need to show that we are the party of Main Street America.“

And for that to happen, a candidate has to be somebody who has lived in a place more like York, than New York.”

“What voters are looking for is somebody they can unite around, and I think we have proven that we could be that candidate,” he said.

Huckabee said his strong showing in Iowa has given his campaign new direction and promise: “People now return our phone calls,” he noted. Huckabee promised to work hard for South Carolina. He considers South Carolina critical to his chances.

Mike Campbell, son of the late GOP Gov. Carroll Campbell, predicted the former Arkansas governor would win the nomination: “We’re going to nail down his nomination in South Carolina,” he vowed. Campbell is Huckabee’s state co-chairman.

The South Carolina Republican primary – the first in the South -- is set for early January. No one has ever won the GOP nomination without first winning the Palmetto State contest.

“This ought to be about grass-roots,“ Huckabee said of the type campaign he hopes to run in South Carolina.

Since Ames, the Huckabee campaign has seen the number of financial backers double. His web site has seen an extra 3.2 million hits.

Ken Dortex, a York official and Huckabee supporter, said the former Arkansas governor was beginning to pick up primary votes. “It gets stronger every day,” he said.

Betty and Dick Bartlett were sporting “We Like Mike” t-shirts. They had driven over from Charlotte, N.C. to see the candidate. They also had sent out 100 e-mails to friends and neighbors urging them to attend the York Main Street event.

“The Ames success has given us new life,” Huckabee said. “It certainy has changed the whole process for me.”

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