Faith, Family, Tragedy Shaped Young Romney

She keeps things personal, appeals to conservative base

(NEWSER) - Ann Romney’s image as a demure stay-at-home mom separates her from more "modern" First Lady aspirants – and solidifies Mitt's plan to coax Christian conservatives to the polls, the Boston Globe reports. “His message is going to be, 'Not only am I against abortion and gay marriage, but I practice what I preach," says one analyst. "And voila, look at my beautiful stay-at-home wife." More»

Compassionate- conservative act just that, columnist writes

(NEWSER) - Mitt Romney’s centrist past and anti-bigot pleasantries are belied by the hardcore conservative base he’s building, writes the American Prospect’s Garance Franke-Ruta. The Republican presidential hopeful's overtures to the middle echo those of George W. Bush's 2000 campaign—in which Bush ultimately won by relying on his social conservative base. More»

(NEWSER) - GOP frontrunners Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney are trading heated barbs over immigration, each accusing the other of a weak stance on illegals. Through radio ads and campaign speeches, both candidates are looking to rally the conservative GOP base, the Washington Post reports—though neither man has solid conservative credentials on the issue. More»

Showing could catapult GOP longshot into top echelon

(NEWSER) - Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee was a surprise winner in Iowa's straw poll yesterday when he came in a strong second, which may have catapulted him into the top tier. He pulled 18.1% of the vote to Mitt Romney’s 31.5%. Huckabee's performance is particularly impressive given that he spent almost no money on the race, report's Politico's Roger Simon. More»

Popular video shows candidate lauding Mormon extremist

(NEWSER) - Mitt Romney tried to unburden himself of some left-wing baggage in a talk-radio interview this weekend—but the National Review’s Mark Hemingway says he may have gone too far. In praising the work of W. Cleon Skousen, his former BYU professor and an “all-around nutjob," Romney may have overcorrected in his attempt to shore up conservative cred. More»