By Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times –
LOS ANGELES — States that played a key role in the Republican primary will continue to have an outsized voice in the general election, if a bus plan announced by Mitt Romney is any indication.
The GOP presumptive nominee will kick off a five-day, six-state bus tour Friday at the place it all began — the Scamman Farm in Stratham, N.H., a 300-acre tomato, herb and seedling operation where he announced his presidential bid last June.
From there, he will head to Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa and Michigan — battleground states in his fall race against President Barack Obama that played major roles in the primary contest between Romney and Rick Santorum.
The bus tour marks a return to heavy campaigning for Romney, who since winning the primary has largely been focused on fundraising. The campaign has released few details about the “Every Town Counts” tour, saying that Romney will meet with families and business owners in small towns. He will take part in a Father’s Day pancake breakfast on Sunday in Brunswick, Ohio, and rally supporters on Monday at a park in Davenport, Iowa.
“For 3 1/2 years, President Obama has paid little attention to the everyday concerns of the American people,” Romney said in a statement announcing the bus tour.
“President Obama has offered no hope for the future, and he has left American families to bear the burden of his failed policies. Too many American families have experienced a lost job, faced foreclosure or been forced to spend their kids’ college savings just to make ends meet. These are not statistics — these are our fellow Americans. In America’s small towns, you don’t find despair — you find boundless optimism. We know we can make America better, and that is why I am running for president.”
