In the three weeks since the last Republican presidential primary, the GOP race has shifted dramatically from a divisive contest between former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and front-runner Mitt Romney, to a fight between Romney and President Obama.
When voters go to the polls Tuesday in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware, Rhode Island and New York, it will mark the first time Romney is running as the party’s presumptive nominee.
Santorum, Romney’s last serious rival, dropped out weeks before his home state voted. Two other candidates, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, pose no threat to Romney.
So Romney has turned his attention to the general election and Obama, with whom he is virtually tied in national polls.
The former Massachusetts governor campaigned in Pennsylvania over the weekend and again on Monday, even though Santorum’s exit means the race there is no longer competitive.
Pennsylvania will be a critical swing state in November and Romney is using the opportunity to shore up his support there. A slew of anti-Santorum ads Romney was planning to air in Pennsylvania have been replaced with pro-Romney messages.
“I need your help for Nov. 6. So you need to get your friends to vote,” Romney told a crowd in South Park Township. “You need to pull them out. Convince them to get on our team. Come join us in this effort.”
Obama won Pennsylvania by 10 percentage points in 2008, but enthusiasm for him there has waned and his current lead over Romney is tiny, pollsters said.
“Romney is not taking this state for granted,” said Terry Madonna, director of the Franklin & Marshall College Poll. “All the polls show the general election is within single digits. We expect a very close race.”
Obama, who like most incumbent presidents has run unopposed in the virtually unnoticed Democratic primary, will officially secure his party’s nomination on Tuesday when he garners the required 2,777 pledged delegates, the Democratic National Committee said.
Despite his unchallenged victory, Obama is struggling to cope with a dour economy and low approval ratings that threaten his ambitions for a second term. His campaign has already gone on the attack against Romney and the Republicans, accusing them of waging a “war on women” and claiming they favor the rich over the poor and middle class.
“Last time was an aspirational campaign based on hope and change,” Democratic strategist Doug Schoen told The Washington Examiner. “This year’s version is a campaign based on more modest goals — comparative messaging, negative ads and class-based, divisive politics.”
With the nomination all but locked up, Romney’s campaign has begun the search for a running mate.
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., on Monday became the first potential vice presidential pick to campaign with Romney, though both men dodged questions about the No. 2 spot during a stop in Aston, Pa. The short list of VP options includes Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell.
“At a minimum, Rubio is going to be an extremely valuable surrogate on the campaign trail for Romney,” University of South Florida political science professor Sue MacManus said. “Romney needs that. Particularly in swing states with large numbers of Hispanic voters.”
