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Posted: November 15, 2007 2:57 PM
Romney Attacks Rivals for Supporting Sanctuary for Illegal Immigrants
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Over the past several days both on the campaign trail and in a new advertisement, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney has contrasted his views on immigration with the positions of other candidates. In New Hampshire on Friday Romney stressed his opposition to sanctuary for illegal immigrants and accused Democrat Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani of supporting “sanctuary cities.” He charged Clinton with favoring amnesty for illegal immigrants already in the country. He also criticized GOP rival Giuliani for discouraging the prosecution of illegal immigrants when he was mayor of New York.

Then on Tuesday in Iowa, where he leads in the polls, Romney compared Giuliani and fellow Republican former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee to Democratic front-runner Clinton because they support tuition breaks and broader sanctuary for illegal immigrants. As the Associated Press reported, “Romney is increasingly using illegal immigration to differentiate himself from the rest of his rivals. The issue is particularly salient in Iowa, given the state’s influx of immigrants coming to work in fields and factories in recent years.”

In a new ad called Change Immigration that is running in New Hampshire, Romney singled out Clinton, saying “Hillary Clinton and the Democrats have it wrong on illegal immigration.”

According to a new Marist College poll released on Sunday, Romney continues to lead his GOP rivals in New Hampshire with 33 percent, followed by Giuliani with 22 percent and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., at 13 percent, with the rest of the field in the single digits.

A new Boston Globe poll that came out over the weekend also had Romney ahead in New Hampshire with 32 percent, followed by Giuliani with 20 percent and McCain in third place at 17 percent. But The Boston Globe called the primary contest “highly fluid” since just 16 percent of likely Republican voters said they had definitely decided who to support.

Poking fun at Giuliani, who leads the Republican field in national polls, campaign spokesman Kevin Madden released a statement to the press that joked, “Mayor Giuliani’s ‘momentum-proof’ national polling lead, Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny all walk into a bar — You’re right. None of them exist.” Madden contended that national polling is based on name recognition of which Giuliani has a lot. He went on to highlight Romney’s strong position in the new Marist poll in New Hampshire and in Iowa polling, along with the candidate’s “competitive” showing in Florida and South Carolina.

An article in Tuesday’s Boston Globe looks at the Romney campaign’s “methodical” strategy. The Globe points out that “Romney’s disciplined approach stands as one of the biggest contrasts with his main rivals for the Republican nomination, all of whom are campaigning more as charismatic figures than as methodical politicians seeking to lock up various constituencies.” The game plan has put Romney in the lead in Iowa and New Hampshire polling but has drawn critics who said that he appears so contrived that supporters don’t get that excited about him.

However, a Wall Street Journal commentary piece published after its editorial board met with Romney said “While some have questioned Mr. Romney’s authenticity, the immediate impression he gives is that he speaks straight from the heart.” The Journal highlights Romney’s experience as a consultant and in private equity and describes him as someone who “has been figuring out how to run businesses better, ” and who sees the federal government as “just one more candidate for a data-driven makeover.”

In honor of Veteran’s Day the campaign released an ad saluting the troops and supporting the surge.

Also on Veteran’s Day Romney visited a company that makes microphones for fighter pilot helmets in Manchester, N.H., where he asserted the government should tie veterans’ education benefits to inflation, create an innovation force to speed laboratory advances to soldiers at war and guarantee that the children of servicemen and women will always receive inexpensive in-state tuition rates.

Looking ahead, on Wednesday and Thursday Romney will be in California with no public events planned for Wednesday but an “Ask Mitt Anything” forum planned for Thursday in Burbank. On Friday he heads to Nevada and Utah.