Romney starting to see clear trail ahead

WASHINGTON -- After a three-month struggle, Mitt Romney edged into the mop-up phase of the race for the Republican presidential nomination yesterday, buoyed by Newt Gingrich's decision to scale back his campaign to the vanishing point and Rick Santorum's statement that he would take the No. 2 spot on the party ticket in the fall.

Romney campaigned by phone for support in next week's Wisconsin primary while he shuttled from California to Texas on a fundraising trip, praising Gov. Scott Walker for "trying to rein in the excesses that have permeated the public services union." Walker faces a recall election in June after winning passage of state legislation vehemently opposed by organized labor.

Romney aides eagerly spread the word that former President George H.W. Bush would bestow a formal endorsement today, although they declined to say whether former President George W. Bush has been asked for a public show of support.

Seven months before Election Day, there was ample evidence of a preparation gap with the Democrats. A Republican National Committee spokesman said the party had recently opened campaign offices in three states expected to be battlegrounds this fall and would soon do the same in seven more.

By contrast, President Barack Obama's re-election campaign has 18 offices in Florida, nine in Michigan, a dozen in Ohio, 13 in Pennsylvania and seven in Nevada, according to officials. While Romney was campaigning in last winter's Iowa caucuses, Democrats claimed to have made 350,000 calls to voters as part of an early organizational effort.

And while Romney is still raising money for the second half of the primary campaign, Obama recently reported $84 million in the bank for the general election.

Not that Romney was leaving the primary wars behind. He and Restore Our Future, a super PAC that supports him, were outspending Santorum and his allies on television by more than 4-1, with an attack-heavy diet of television ads.

Santorum is campaigning across the state as an ally of Walker. "I'm excited to stand here with Gov. Walker. Not only should he not be recalled, he should be re-elected," Santorum said in LaCrosse, Wis. "When Gov. Walker ran and your lieutenant governor ran, they didn't run as they would be moderates. They said the problems in Wisconsin were serious."

There was no letup in Santorum's criticism of Romney, who he said is "completely out of sync with America" and "uniquely disqualified" to lead the party against President Barack Obama.