Long March in Store for McCain, Romney
By LIZ SIDOTI
Associated Press
January 30, 2008
Page 2 of 2
Thus, the next seven days promise to be a dog fight.
No love lost between them, McCain and Romney spent the run up to Florida's primary bitterly sparring over national security and the economy. Both campaigns are gearing up for another rough-and-tumble week in which negative campaigning probably will spike even higher.
''Who is it that has got the experience and background and knowledge to take on the challenge of radical Islamic extremism? Governor Romney has no experience there,'' McCain said early Tuesday in a preview of what's to come.
Romney, for his part, slapped at McCain, saying: ''One of the candidates out there running for president said that the economy is not his strong suit; well, it's my strong suit.''
The coming week is all but certain to get personal.
McCain's campaign views Romney as a serial flip-flopper who doesn't have a core set of beliefs and who changes his positions for political reasons. Romney's campaign sees McCain, 71, as a candidate whose time has passed and who isn't loyal to Republican ideals.
The sparks could start Wednesday night in California when the Republicans still in the race debate at Ronald Reagan's presidential library in Simi Valley, Calif.
There were signs Tuesday in Florida that McCain may be breaking through as the choice of the party establishment and a candidate able to unite all wings of the Republican Party. If so, he may be unstoppable.
Polling as people left voting stations showed McCain won among Republican moderates, Hispanics, Florida's numerous older voters and people who ranked the economy as their top issue, while Romney relied on a solid backing from conservatives and people troubled by illegal immigration and abortion.
McCain made progress among people calling themselves Republicans; he had been relying chiefly on independents, moderates and other groups on the periphery of the GOP for his strength in previous contest. Lately, he has shown signs of appealing to party regulars.
As if to cap off his ascension as the race's current front-runner, voters picked McCain as the most electable GOP candidate for the general election and most qualified to be commander in chief, with more than four in 10 naming him for each.
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Liz Sidoti covers the Republican presidential race for the Associated Press.
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