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Not so fast, dude
BY SETH GITELL

Much has been made of the 27-page PowerPoint presentation of Republican electoral predictions and strategies prepared by White House political advisers Kenneth Mehlman and Karl Rove that inadvertently fell into the hands of Washington reporters and Democrats last week. But in all the buzz surrounding the embarrassing document, one thing has been overlooked: it contains bad news for Massachusetts gubernatorial hopeful Mitt Romney.

On page two of the presentation, dated June 4 — prior to Romney’s current residency woes — the two advisers detail the 2002 election outlook. Under the category marked "Governors: Republican Seats," the memo lists nine states with a "strong chance of D pickup." Among them is Massachusetts. Guess Mehlman and Rove aren’t convinced of Romney’s political skills.

Interestingly, the memo’s projection that Massachusetts might very well fall into the Democratic camp come November contradicts what Republican National Committee chair Marc Racicot told the Phoenix back in April at the Republican convention. At that time, Racicot said the RNC had targeted Massachusetts as one of the GOP’s most competitive states in the Northeast. Since then, apparently, something about Romney has made Rove and company less optimistic about their man in Massachusetts.

More generally, the memo also includes a page that provides a glimpse into Rove’s vision of the GOP’s future. Under the category "maintain," Rove lists "base, coal & steel, farmers, ranchers." Under "grow," the memo includes "Latinos, suburbs (esp. women), Catholics, Union Members, Wired Workers." And in a separate box marked "improve," the memo lists only one group: "African Americans."

Issue Date: June 20 - 27, 2002
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