Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign stuck in lukewarm

Even Romney’s supporters acknowledge that he cannot afford to lose another contest right away. He is pushing hard in the Maine caucuses, followed by primaries in Arizona and Michigan on Feb. 28.

On Thursday, Romney appeared to temper hopes about Michigan.

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White House press secretary Jay Carney says GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney is an 'odd messenger' to be attacking President Barack Obama's birth control coverage mandate. (Feb. 8)

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“I’m not expecting a landslide. I can’t tell you 100 percent that I’ll win,” he said in a Fox Business Network interview. “I’m planning on it, and I’m going to work hard for it. And I think the people of Michigan understand that this is the chance to select as our nominee a person who was born and raised in Michigan, who understands Michigan values and who will do everything in his power to get Michigan working again.”

Romney noted that, in 2008, Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) lost 19 states before winning the GOP nomination.

A strong view remains among many Republicans that Tuesday’s nonbinding contests in Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri, in which no delegates were awarded, were less damaging to Romney than news reports have let on. The real loser Tuesday, many of these Republicans said, is former House speaker Newt Gingrich, who was banking on a two-man race with Romney and now must compete with Santorum for the conservative mantle.

“They are playing Santorum and Gingrich off each other,” said one outside adviser, referring to the Romney officials. “They’re basically like whack-a-mole. This week, they’re whacking Santorum; last week, it was Gingrich. The goal is to keep the anti-Romney vote 100 percent split.”

There is also a strong view that Romney should be careful not to stray too far from who he is.

“The worst thing you can do is to be something you’re not,” said Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (Mich.), who ran for president before endorsing Romney. “I think Governor Romney knows that. He’ll continue to be Governor Romney. The last thing Americans need to see in the Republican primary is for people to try to pretend to do something they’re not.”

Still, the need for that whack-a-mole strategy, several Republicans said, speaks to Romney’s seeming inability to excite the GOP’s conservative base.

As if to acknowledge the point, the candidate met privately with leaders at a conservative political conference in Washington on Thursday before his address there Friday.

Republicans also fear that Romney’s scorched-earth strategy may drive down the voter enthusiasm he would need for a fall campaign.

And that’s why the advice has rolled in, some of it contradictory: to hit Santorum harder; to stop hitting Santorum; to talk up his management experience; to stop running as a manager and start using the language of a movement; to rehire Brett O’Donnell, a debate coach who was fired last week after Romney advisers bristled at the credit he received for the candidate’s debate performances in Florida; even to stop saying “enterprise” when he means “business.” (“Does anyone know what that means?” one adviser asked. “The public thinks ‘enterprise’ is either a car-rental place or Captain Kirk’s ship. It’s just a lot of annual-report talk as opposed to kitchen-table talk.”)

“He’s been trying to win this with overwhelming throw weight — with more money, negative ads and manpower,” said a former Romney adviser, Alex Castellanos. “They’re trying to win this tactically in each state, separate from the other, which gets expensive and long. Either he elevates his purpose, he elevates from a campaign to a cause, or the big Romney bulldozer has to now turn, grindingly slow and powerful, and crush everything in its path.”

Staff writer Philip Rucker contributed to this report.