Romney quiere la etiqueta de favorito

En Team Romney ya empiezan a analizar la carrera asumiendo la condición de front-runner para su candidato. Es lo que se desprende de un memorandum redactado por Alex Gage, uno de los pesos pesados del equipo del Gobernador Romney. Gage, dueño de la famosa consultora TargetPoint, autoproclamado en 2004 padre del exitoso modelo de movilización de votantes conocido como "get-out-the-vote", considera que su candidato es ya el favorito de la terna republicana, basándose en la tendencia descendente de Giuliani a nivel nacional, así como en las tendencias de la intención del voto en los 5 estados que celebrarán primarias antes del 5 de febrero. Gage recomienda empezar a actuar como favoritos.

Romney Camp Claims Giuliani Is No Longer GOP Favorite

(...) Giuliani "is now trailing in four of the five key states that fall before Feb. 5," Gage writes. The memo goes on to note that the average of public polls conducted in June and July show Romney leading comfortably in Iowa and New Hampshire and more narrowly in Nevada. Former senator Fred Thompson (R-Tenn.) leads the way in South Carolina, while Giuliani is a strong first choice only in Florida.

The former mayor is shifting from a Feb. 5 strategy aimed at running the table of large states set to vote that day to a more traditional approach of lavishing attention on places such as Iowa and New Hampshire, Gage says, pointing out that in the past week alone, Giuliani had eight events scheduled for Iowa.

The Gage memo is the first full-frontal assault on Giuliani by Romney's campaign and reflects the way in which the field has changed since the rise of Thompson and fall of McCain. (...)