Massachusetts Governor Makes Play for New Yorkers’ Deep Pockets

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The New York Sun

Governor Romney of Massachusetts stopped in New York yesterday to meet with supporters, becoming the latest Republican presidential hopeful to make a play for the city’s deep-pocketed political donors.

A spokesman for the governor, Eric Fehrnstrom, would not say whom Mr. Romney met with, only that he had “a series of political meetings.” Mr. Romney, who did not seek re-election to the Massachusetts statehouse, is leaving office next month. While he has not officially declared his candidacy for the GOP nomination, he has sought recently to position himself as more conservative than Senator McCain of Arizona and Mayor Giuliani, who have led early polls.

Toward that end, Mr. Romney reiterated his opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage in an interview published yesterday on National Review Online. “Like the vast majority of Americans, I’ve opposed same-sex marriage,” he said. He added, though, that he opposed discrimination against anyone for their sexual preference.

Mr. Romney also acknowledged, as he has previously, that he changed his position on abortion since becoming governor, saying his experience learning about stem cell research led him to a new view in opposition. The governor has been quoted as taking more moderate positions on abortion and gay rights during the 1990s, leading some to accuse him of being disingenuous in earlier campaigns.

Those reports, he said in the interview, have been circulated by his opponents.

Messrs. McCain and Giuliani also have met with potential donors in Manhattan in recent weeks, and the former New York mayor is holding a fund-raiser for his exploratory committee on Tuesday.


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