ONTARIO, Ohio – With new polls showing a post-convention bounce for President Barack Obama, Republican challenger Mitt Romney sought Monday to rally support in an all-important swing state that many believe he cannot afford to lose.The former Massachusetts governor stepped up his attacks on Obama during an event at PR Machine Works, a machining and metal fabrications plant in this Mansfield suburb.
About 1,250 supporters crammed inside a warehouse for Romney’s 16-minute speech. Another 300 people listened to his remarks on a speaker outside. Afterward, Romney stood atop a picnic table, microphone in hand, to address the overflow crowd.
“I think I can count on Ohio to win this thing, don’t you think?” he said.
Romney’s comments inside were the boilerplate lines from his typical stump speech.
He criticized Obama’s performance on the economy, emphasizing a rise in the number of Americans receiving food-stamp assistance. Romney also mixed in foreign policy, vowing not to cut the defense budget – a likely jab at proposed administration cuts that would end the mission of a nearby military base. Obama invited controversy over the plan in July when he flew into the base to attend a campaign event in Mansfield.
Amid the uproar then, the White House pledged to find a new mission for the base.
Romney also continued an attack he began leveling in the days since last week’s Democratic National Convention, where language affirming faith in God and recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital were left out of the platform. Obama later insisted that the words be included, setting the stage for an uncomfortable floor fight.
If elected president, “I will honor that pledge,” Romney said of the Pledge of Allegiance, emphasizing the “one nation, under God” line. The crowd cheered loudly in approval.
The Obama campaign responded only to Romney’s economic critique.
“President Obama is looking out for Ohio’s small businesses by cutting taxes 18 times since taking office while the Romney-Ryan plan would raise taxes on most small businesses to help pay for more tax cuts for millionaires,” said Jessica Kershaw, press secretary for Obama’s Ohio team.
“At the same time, it’s ironic that Mitt Romney has chosen to push his doom and gloom economic message at a company that is adding jobs and expanding its facilities under President Obama, especially one whose clients include automakers which are thriving in spite of Romney’s desire to ‘let Detroit go bankrupt.’”
A 2008 column Romney wrote for the New York Times argued against government loans to rescue the U.S. auto industry and carried the headline “Let Detroit Go Bankrupt.”
Romney’s visit, his second to Ohio since accepting the GOP nomination last month, underscores the extra-special attention Buckeye State voters are receiving as the race for the White House enters its fall phase. Republican running mate Paul Ryan also has campaigned twice in Ohio since their convention, including a stop last week in Westlake.
Ryan will return Wednesday for an event in Owensville, near Cincinnati. And after a weekend in southern Ohio, Vice President Joe Biden will be in Dayton the same day.
The flurry of campaign appearances comes as a new survey Public Policy Polling shows Obama leading Romney by 5 percentage points in the state. Half of the 1,072 likely voters who participated said they support Obama; 45 percent favor Romney. A month ago, before either party’s convention, Obama led Romney 48 percent to 45 percent.
The poll from PPP, a firm aligned with Democrats, had a margin of error of 3 points. Romney leads among independents, 46 percent to 44 percent, but Obama leads among women and senior citizens and has more of the party united behind him, the poll shows.
Neil Newhouse, the Romney campaign pollster, minimized the president’s post-convention bounce in a memo shared with news reporters Monday.
“Don’t get too worked up about the latest polling,” Newhouse wrote. “While some voters will feel a bit of a sugar-high from the conventions, the basic structure of the race has not changed significantly. The reality of the Obama economy will reassert itself as the ultimate downfall of the Obama presidency, and Mitt Romney will win this race.”
The Newhouse memo boasted of Romney’s ground game, particularly in Ohio, where “five times more phone calls and 28 times more door knocks have been made than at this time in 2008.” On Saturday, he noted, volunteers knocked on more than 100,000 doors.
Ohio, which this year awards 18 electoral votes, went for Obama by 4.6 percentage points in 2008. Political web site RealClearPolitics lists the state among 10 toss-ups that will decide the race between Obama and Romney. Obama won all 10 four years ago.
Romney senior adviser Kevin Madden asserted to reporters after the Ontario event that the economy remains the chief concern among Ohioans, despite an unemployment rate here that is roughly a percentage point lower than the national average.
“The challenge for us over the next 57 days with Ohio voters is to make the case the Gov. Romney will get the country back on track, get the economy living up to its full potential,” Madden said. “As he continues to travel throughout Ohio all the way through Election Day, those are going to be issues that he’s very focused on and that can persuade those voters who have yet to make up their minds to vote for Gov. Romney.”
Madden said Romney and Ryan will keep a robust campaign schedule in Ohio through the Nov. 7 election. Early voting in the state begins 35 days earlier, on Oct. 2.
Is the state a must-win for Romney?
“Look, Ohio is always an important state, no matter how you look at the history,” Madden said in response to a reporter’s question. “For as long as I’ve been working on campaigns, Ohio has been very important and it’s going to be important this time around, and we’re taking it very seriously, and that’s why we’re here today.”
