As Romney solidifies front-runner status, focus turns to Obama
Among the Republicans angling to move into 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. a year from January, Mitt Romney is the closest to achieving his goal.
The former Massachusetts governor has reached the decisive phase in his presidential campaign: attempting to consolidate his support and cinch the nomination.
Earlier than some political analysts projected, and even before the first caucus or primary votes have been cast, Romney has cemented his front-runner status with strong debate performances (the latest this past week), steady fund-raising, and a candidacy that has endured the rise of challengers such as Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry, as well as potential opponents including Sarah Palin and Donald Trump.
Now, fueling the aura of inevitability, he is winning the endorsements of marquee Republicans like New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who considered his own challenge to Romney and the rest of the GOP field but decided against it.
Romney’s most ardent conservative critics have been left to rally around Herman Cain, simultaneously engaged in a book tour and presidential campaign, in a last-ditch effort to prevent his nomination.
None of this ensures that Romney will be the Republicans’ 2012 presidential nominee; there is another debate Tuesday in Las Vegas, as well as a primary calendar that could schedule meaningful contests as late as next March.
Similarly, it doesn’t ensure he would beat President Obama and his seasoned campaign team as the incumbent seeks reelection a year from now.
But with the primary field finally set and Perry, the closest challenger, struggling in debates and racing to develop policies Romney devised during his 2008 campaign or announced months ago, the Romney staff is focused on what it sees as an inevitable clash with Obama and the Democrats.
“Osama bin Laden was having a great day until the helicopters started hovering over his compound,’’ one top Romney adviser recently told the Globe. “We know the helicopters are coming for us at some point…