But a fresh string of gaffes by the Republican presidential front-runner has now brought ribbing from his most loyal supporter.
“Maybe I should just do all the talking and let him just stand here and watch me,” Mr Romney’s wife Ann said at a campaign rally in Troy, Michigan, over the weekend. As the audience laughed, Mr Romney wore his usual rictus grin.
Mrs Romney, 62, was joking, but only up to a point. If her husband wins a crucial primary election on Tuesday in Michigan, it will only be by the narrowest of margins and her remark exposed Republican nerves made raw by the fact that Mr Romney has failed to inspire enthusiasm even in the state where the couple was born and raised.
He leads Rick Santorum, a Right-wing former Senator, by just two percentage points, according to a RealClearPolitics average of opinion polls. Despite his father having been a popular governor of the state in the 1960s, Mr Romney has not convinced Michiganders that he is their favourite son.
Days after her husband gave an unimpressive performance in the 20th televised debate of the contest to pick an opponent for President Barack Obama, Mrs Romney also declared: “No more debates. If we’re going to do another debate, he’s going to sit in the audience and watch me. And that’ll be it.” » | Jon Swaine, Washington | Sunday, February 26, 2012
