The 2012 Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, looks to begin the next phase of his campaign by making a round of stops in early voting primary states.
As the frontrunner for the republican party, Romney already faces a strong challenger from Gov. Rick Perry. And, it is Romney who is uping the stakes by making a number of stops to continue his stride and to keep his face in the front. Along with that, it will be an advantage to get out in the public and make his policies known and understood. Something that he failed at during his first bid for the presidency.
Romney looks to use this phase as a springboard and to possibly become a more accepted candidate. One thing that continues to be a challenge for Romney is, unfortunately, his Mormon faith. He continues to struggle in the southern states, something Perry looks to excell in.
In August, Romney plans to hold seven town hall events in New Hampshire, where he owns a vacation home and which will hold what he views as a must-win primary. He is scheduled to spend two days campaigning in Iowa, home to the nation’s first caucuses, and will hold fundraisers and possibly public events elsewhere across the country, including California, New York, Texas and Utah.
His campaign will intensify further in September, when he has committed to take the stage at three debates and plans to begin rolling out a detailed policy agenda with a series of major speeches.
Romney has kept a deliberately quiet profile in the early months of the campaign, even as he has faced pressure from some supporters to escalate his public activity. It’s a strategy that seems to have served him well, as he has amassed a monetary advantage and kept his lead in polls.
But the Aug. 13 Iowa straw poll and the potential competition from Texas Gov. Rick Perry are likely to change the contours of the race and might be the strongest challenge yet to Romney’s front-runner status.