Gingrich, Romney prepare for January collision

Article

December 7th, 2011
Dan Balz, Amy Gardner and Phil Rucker
January caucuses

For the majority of the campaign, Mitt Romney has been in the lead. As the first primaries edge closer, Newt Gingrich has seen a large rise in the polls, leading some local and national polls. Some strategists think Romney will need to change his strategy by being more open with the media, showing clear differences between himself and Gingrich, and a more defined stance on the economy. Other strategists say it is too early to call it a two-person race since some voters don't choose a candidate until a few days before the election. Since the states with early primaries (Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Florida, and Nevada) will set the tone for the rest of the campaign, those states are being paid the most attention. As a result of building a deep political organization in Miami, Romney has received the public endorsements of three Cuban-American members of Congress. South Carolina is most likely to be swayed by the outcomes of the New Hampshire and Iowa primaries. Gingrich has a lead but little organization in Iowa while Romney has the remnants of his 2008 organization. Romney has a lead in New Hampshire although it seems to be shrinking. Kevin Madden, an informal Romney advisor, has stated two differences between Gingrich and Romney. One contrast is that Romney is a Washington politician while Gingrich has a clear business background. The other difference is how the candidates view the job. Romney sees the job as a chance to fix the various problems in American while Gingrich sees the presidency as just another job. There is still time left before the first caucus for the candidates to garner more votes.