In The News
Romney and allies step up South Carolina efforts
Des Moines, Iowa (CNN) – Mitt Romney has added two veteran Republican operatives to his small team in South Carolina as the state’s primary nears.
And a super PAC backing Romney’s presidential bid is now running television ads in the Palmetto State attacking the immigration stances of Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry, two candidates who hope their southern roots help them appeal to South Carolina voters.
In a sign of their increasing confidence across the early state playing field, the Romney campaign has signed up Warren Tompkins and Luke Byars to help run political operations in the state before the January 21 primary.
Tompkins told CNN Friday that they are both serving as advisers in a volunteer capacity.
“Right now I want to help, and they wanted our help, and we’re going to do whatever we can do to help them out,” said Tompkins, who said he traveled to Boston in November to meet with Romney campaign manager Matt Rhoades.
Both Republicans worked for Romney’s fruitless 2008 effort in South Carolina. Byars is also a longtime adviser to Sen. Jim DeMint.
They join Romney’s South Carolina state director, David Raad.
The staff hires were first reported by The State newspaper in Columbia.
Unlike the vast and expensive campaign operation he ran in South Carolina in 2008, Romney currently has just four paid staffers and one office in the state, which holds the first southern primary and has a tradition of accurately picking Republican presidential nominees.
But Romney and his team are betting that momentum, a flurry of television ads and a recent endorsement from Gov. Nikki Haley might be enough for a South Carolina win in a fractured Republican field.
The Romney campaign is currently running television ads in some of the state’s media markets.
They were joined this week by the super PAC, Restore Our Future, which is now airing a television ad in the state called “Too Much.” The ad is already running in Iowa.
The 30-second spot accuses Perry and Gingrich of favoring lenient policies for illegal immigrants and claims both candidates have “too much baggage on ethics.”
CNN.com
Peter Hamby & Shawna Shepherd
December 30, 2011
Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign has hired veteran S.C. political consultants Warren Tompkins and Luke Byars to help boost his presence in South Carolina in the three weeks leading up to the state’s pivotal primary.
Tompkins has guided four candidates to wins in South Carolina’s Republican primary, including Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bob Dole and George W. Bush. Byars is a former executive director of the S.C. Republican Party and a state director for U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint.
Tompkins and Byars, known as First Tuesday Strategies, say they will not be paid for their work. Both of them worked for Romney in the 2008 election, when the former governor of Massachusetts finished a disappointing fourth after spending millions of dollars campaigning in South Carolina.
The two flirted with several presidential campaigns early in the election cycle, but did not sign on with anyone. They followed the example of DeMint, their biggest client, who said he does not plan to endorse a candidate.
“Sometimes it’s not always about money, but doing what you think is right and what is best for the things you believe in,” Tompkins said.
Romney has frustrated some conservatives for what they see as flip-flopping on key social issues, including abortion and gay marriage. Tompkins said there are other conservatives candidates, but Romney is the only candidate that can address the country’s troubled economy, which Tompkins said takes precedence.
“People need to vote with their head, not necessarily with their heart,” Tompkins said. “If we don’t straighten out America’s financial mess, all of the other stuff we care about on a social basis won’t matter.”
The move signals the start of Romney’s South Carolina attack, which has so far been quiet. Romney has just one office in the state, in West Columbia, and only three paid staffers. But his supporters, including state Rep. Phyllis Henderson, R-Greenville, have said Romney plans to pick up the pace in South Carolina following the Iowa caucuses. Restore Our Future, a super PAC that supports Romney, has already purchased $250,000 wroth of air time in South Carolina and Florida, according to reports.
The State Newspaper
Adam Beam
December 30, 2011
