Romney to Skip Georgia Debate?
Officials in the Georgia Republican Party are putting out word this afternoon that Mitt Romney is not going to participate in a GOP debate set for March 1 in Atlanta.
The debate, sponsored by CNN, is being co-sponsored by the Georgia GOP and the Ohio Republican Party. It is the last debate before Super Tuesday.
A debate is already set for next Wednesday in Arizona.
Romney's campaign reportedly told CNN officials earlier today about their decision. No reason was given for Romney's decision, which comes as new polls today show him behind Rick Santorum both in Michigan and Ohio.
The Ohio numbers were especially startling, as a Rasmussen poll showed Santorum ahead of Romney by 18 points.
It wouldn't be the first time a GOP frontrunner has skipped a debate in Georgia - it happened in 1996, when Bob Dole refused to appear with his closest pursuers in a debate hosted by WSB-TV in Atlanta.
How do I remember that one? I was on the panel.
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16 comments Add your comment
Mitt Romney bowing out of GA GOP debate?
February 16th, 2012
2:48 pm
[...] Atlanta Journal Consitution picked up on it as well, stating Romney officials told CNN about their decision to bow out earlier [...]
Jack
February 16th, 2012
3:18 pm
I think skipping GA will cost Romney some votes. I’ll vote GOP, but I’m still a little uncertain who my choice may be. I want the best candidate to beat Obama; that’s who I want to vote for.
Sharon Seybert
February 16th, 2012
3:20 pm
I will find it offensive if Governor Romney skips us here in Georgia….it may change my vote as I have yet to decide whom I will support in the 2012 election. Perhaps bad choices are part of the reasons the individual Republican ‘wanna be’ nominees are ‘yo yoing’ and no one can seem to surge for any length of time. While I am a conservative, I am sorely disappoiinted in the current behavior of the Republican party. They have had a long time to prepare for this election, and it is LAME, to say the least!
John C. Hall, Jr.
February 16th, 2012
3:32 pm
Romney is foreign to those born and raised in Georgia. He is a yankee. Worst is he is a morman. Baptizing the dead? Stay up north and go away……btw we are just taking a break from the war for Southern Independence…It ain’t over yet!
jason
February 16th, 2012
3:42 pm
@Sharon
Santorum and Paul are also not taking part in the debate. The debate was never finalized. Romney was in Georgia last week. Romney was the only candidate in Georgia recently.
Why is the headline about romney. There is a debate next week and there have been too many already.
The media has destroyed romney and this headline is proof when there are three candidates not taking part and the headline is only about romney.
This headline has cost romney votes and that is unfair as almost all the candidates agreed not to take part as their are too many debates.
jason
February 16th, 2012
3:44 pm
The liberal media has destroyed romney.
Santorum and paul aren’t taking part in the debate.
Is the headline Santorum to skip Georgia debate? Is the headline Paul to skip Georgia debate?
The liberal media has destroyed romney with their relentless bias to help Obama and take romney out in the primary.
jason
February 16th, 2012
3:47 pm
Daily kos a liberal site are telling dems to vote for santorum in the open georgia primary to hurt romney.
Dem media and white house have coordinated to take romney out in the primary.
Sharon Seybert
February 16th, 2012
3:59 pm
Jason, thanks for the info…I was not aware Santorum and Paul were also evading this debate…I am not thrilled with anyone running for POTUS; how about you?
Political Watcher....
February 16th, 2012
4:01 pm
Who gives a rat’s azz? Haven’t we seen enough debates?
jason
February 16th, 2012
4:03 pm
Sharon, lol same thought. I wish christie, thune, or mitch daniels had run. But of the choices left I believe Romney has the best chance against obama. Media hasn’t vetted santorum. Last time they vetted him he lost his senate race in PA by 18 percent.
beowulf
February 16th, 2012
4:13 pm
“Stay up north and go away……btw we are just taking a break from the war for Southern Independence…It ain’t over yet!”
You’re right, they cut off Reconstruction too soon!
Anyway, its curious that Santorum and Paul also backed out. I wonder if Santorum is already angling to be Romney’s VP (Not sure about Paul, other than that he genuinely likes Romney but can’t stand Gingrich).
beowulf
February 16th, 2012
4:18 pm
Fun fact– New Gingrich and Ron Paul were both born in Pennsylvania, Rick Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator, was born in Virginia.
jconservative
February 16th, 2012
5:06 pm
So now with both Romney and Paul out the debate is cancelled.
Good political move by Romney. Makes both Santorum and Gingrich use their money to get their message out.
Beth
February 16th, 2012
8:00 pm
John C. Hall has just taken the GOP anti-immigration position to a new level. They are anti-US citizens not born and raised in the south too!
Diane
February 18th, 2012
1:10 am
Ron Paul is the man we need. Only he is a real constitutionalist and will restore America to the great country we once were.
westerner22
February 18th, 2012
3:09 am
VERY GOOD NEWS FOR ALL RON PAUL SUPPORTERS! PLEASE SHARE.
Today Ron Paul is first among GOP candidates in a match up with Obama in general elections! This is BIG! So the MSMs did not tell you about and left you ignorant for the long weekend. So please be Ron Paul’s media and hail it around!.
As shown by Real Clear Politics in the latest Rasmussen polls: Obama/Paul +5 Obama /Santorum +6 Obama/Romney +6 Obama/Gingrich +14. Remember that these numbers show the (+) for Obama, so the lower the number the better the GOP candidate. Ron Paul is +5. Less than +6. They call this number “spread”. You see that Gingrich is hopelessly weak in the General Election match up at 14.
Thus today Ron Paul is #1 in national eligibility, with Mitt & Rick behind, by one point!! One point is one point. It makes a winner or a looser. What has happened since yesterday is that Romney got worse, from +4 to +6, and Santorum remained at +6. So they are both in a dead heat tie today on this very important test – it is the first time since the early fall (I think) that Romney LOST THE LEAD in the general election match up. Moreover, he lost it today to Ron Paul. All this is as true and clear as crystal. I searched in the Google news for any report on the subject and have not found one.
There is a trick in all this, but it is not mine, it is Rasmussen’s. I have posted yesterday’s Rasmussen results on my wall because I was happy Ron Paul was a close second behind Romney +4. And followed by Santorum’s +6. So you will find yesterday’s numbers on my wall. Rasmussen promised a couple days ago to follow ALL candidates in the match up with Obama. They did, yesterday. But today the did NOT. They did a poll today with 1,500 LV questioned – and reported only on Santorum and Romney. Nothing about Paul or Gingrich. You would expect that if they narrowed the poll to the two frontrunners of yesterday’s poll – that would be Romney and Paul. But they report today only on Romney and Santorum. So we have a right to compare “the latest by Rasmussen”, as also does RCP, which you may check it in their link.
So today, February 17th 2012 Ron Paul is ahead of Romney (and Santorum) in the general election match up! Romney lost the lead! This is what the numbers tell us and the press does not.
Now what can be behind the Rasmussen politicking (though good pollsters should not politick). It may be they indeed did not do a questionaire on Paul and Gingrich. If so, all I said above stays as it is, with +5 for Ron Paul, and the lead. If they DID the questionaire but did not report on Paul, this could be only for one reason: a. That Ron Paul gained points since yesterday and leads even more than one point today. b. That he lost one point and is in a match up with Romney and Santorum at +6, which would make terrible headlines for the two current GOP bubbles. c. Ron Paul lost some points since yesterday. I think that “c.” would be reported with a gusto, and scrutinized in the pollster analysis.
Thus Ron Paul has either gained points or just stayed at +5 (thus the silence). And this is good enough for getting into the GOP LEAD in the 2012 election games! At least for this long weekend. Have a great one.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/president/us/general_election_paul_vs_obama-1750.html