As the race for the Republican presidential nomination develops into a state-by-state fight, Mitt Romney heads into today’s primary battle in Illinois hoping to regain the momentum he lost in the Deep South last week.
On paper, Mr Romney should be a shoo-in in the relatively moderate state. He is outspending Rick Santorum by seven to one and he has won the endorsement of Pat Brady, the chairman of the Illinois Republican Party. A Public Policy Polling survey now puts him ahead of his main rival by 45 to 30 per cent.
The omens are also good. On Sunday Mr Romney notched up victory in the Puerto Rico primary, giving him a two-to-one advantage in the national delegate count so far — but with lingering questions about the lack of enthusiasm he is generating, even among his own supporters, he knows he can take nothing for granted. “Mitt Romney is a sound individual and a good businessman, but from a sheer lovability or enthusiasm standpoint, he’s not the world’s most gregarious guy,” Kirk Dillard, a longtime Republican state senator, told The New York Times.
To win convincingly in Illinois, he needs to score well in suburban Chicago and to blunt Mr Santorum’s edge in more conservative rural areas. He is working hard to woo female voters, who may be put off by Mr Santorum’s social conservativism, including his opposition to contraception. He has linked this in with a sustained attack on President Obama’s handling of the economy and rising petrol prices.
“You’ve got mums that are driving their kids to school and practice after school and other appointments and wonder how they can afford putting gasoline in the car, at the same time putting food on the table night after night,” Mr Romney told supporters in Moline, Illinois.
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According to a Washington Post-ABC poll, Republican female voters and Republican-leaning independent women prefer Mr Romney to Mr Santorum by a narrow margin.
Yesterday Mr Romney won another popular endorsement when presenters at a local radio station, WLS Chicago, revealed his waist measurement to their listeners.
“A picture was taken, excuse me, of your butt. And it’s got the size right on there,” Roma Wade, of the Don Wade & Roma morning show, said to Mr Romney when he called in to the show. “It’s 34. For a guy that’s 65 years old, that’s pretty trim.”
“Well, you know,” a surprised Mr Romney said, “I look to my wife to buy my jeans for me and she got me a good pair.”
The other two Republican candidates, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul, are trailing in the Illinois polls at 12 and 10 per cent respectively.