Mitt Romney brings 'Ask Mitt Anything' tour to Tampa

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

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Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney held a town hall forum Monday in Tampa.

TAMPA (Bay News 9) -- Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney may be leading the GOP pack in Iowa and New Hampshire but that success has eluded him so far in Florida.

Romney was out to change that Monday afternoon as he brought his "Ask Mitt anything" tour to Tampa. Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, held a town hall-type meeting to further introduce himself to Florida voters.

And take plenty of questions.

With the Florida primary among the first in the union, now set for January 29, Romney, along with other candidates are expected to spend more time in Florida during the next six months.

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Romney spent Monday discussing taxes, education, oil prices and Iraq.

"We won the war to knock down Saddam Hussein,'' Romney said. "Now we're trying to help the Iraqi people rebuild a country. Have we made mistakes? Absolutely. I think we were understaffed, underprepared and underplanned."

Romney has made 12 campaign trips to Florida and has been here more than any other candidate in 2007. And with $1.9 million raised in Florida, he has garnered as much money here as fellow GOP candidate Rudy Giuliani.

Mitt Romney meets with constituents Monday in Tampa.

Still, he remains a mystery to some Florida voters.

"I'm here to learn more about the governor's (Romney) platform,'' said Tom Malone, who drove from Spring Hill for the event. "I don't know much about him. This is a learning experience for me."

Romney told the crowd he supports the surge of troops in Iraq, promises to lower taxes if elected president and has adopted pro-family policies when it comes to abortion. He also said he will be a familiar face in Florida in the coming months.

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