Romney campaigns in Cincinnati
REPUBLICAN NOMINATION
Contrasting Ohio Attorney General Mike Dewine’s appearance with rival Rick Santorum, Sen. Rob Portman stood at the side of Mitt Romney on Monday as the Republican presidential candidate touted his leadership qualities to a group of workers in Cincinnati.
CINCINNATI — Sen. Rob Portman, R-ohio, stood at the side of Mitt Romney on Monday as the Republican presidential candidate touted his leadership qualities to a group of workers here.
Portman’s presence was in contrast to Ohio Attorney General Mike Dewine’s announcement Friday that he was dropping his support of Romney for GOP rival Rick Santorum.
“I’ve had the opportunity over the years to work for two different presidents and I’ve seen the kind of decisions that come from off their desks and I’ve seen the kind of tough decisions that have to be made … and I believe that the man standing next to me, Gov. Mitt Romney, is the right person to lead our country,” Portman said.
Portman has been suggested as a possible candidate for vice president.
With the Ohio primary two weeks away, Romney stressed that his leadership experience sets him apart from his opponents.
“Having spent my life in the private sector, and then going off and running the Olympic games, and then helping run a state, I have the experience leading,” he said. “I have led four different enterprises, and I happen to think one of the criteria for selecting a president ought to be ‘Has this person led something before?’ Our current president has not and I think we’ve seen the consequence of that.”
Portman said he continues to support Romney, “because he combines the personal traits, knowledge and experience to be a strong leader.”
Romney trails Santorum in Ohio, 36 percent to 29 percent, in a Quinnipiac University poll released last week. Gingrich is third with 20 percent.
Romney’s visit to Meridian Bioscience was the second area visit by a GOP candidate in three days. Santorum spoke Friday at a Lincoln Day dinner in Warren County.
Romney said he, not Santorum, was a true “budget hawk.”
“I don’t believe it’s appropriate for us to keep raising the debt ceiling every year.” Romney said. “He (Santorum) voted five times to raise the debt ceiling without getting compensated cuts from spending. During his time in the Senate, only two terms, the size of the federal government grew 80 percent. When Republicans go to Washington and spend like Democrats, you’re going to have a lot of spending, and that’s what we’ve seen over the last several years.”
Meridian Bioscience manufactures and sells diagnostic test kits, purified reagents and biopharmaceutical enabling technologies, according to the company’s website.
Hamilton County Democratic Chairman Tim Burke said nothing Romney says can change the fact that he spent his career as “a corporate buyout specialist who put profits over people and lined his pockets by outsourcing jobs, closing down plants and laying off workers.”
“His 59-point economic plan would do nothing to create jobs now, fix America’s economy or help struggling homeowners avoid foreclosure,” Burke said.