It was so nice to open the paper yesterday and see an article about Romney on the front page.  We still have our Mitt Romney bumper stickers on our cars.  Yesterday, while my hubby was in Estes Park, a man sought him out to talk to him about Mitt Romney.  The man sang Romney's praises and my hubby was delighted to hear that the man was from Arkansas.  My hubby must have stumbled over that revelation and the man smiled and said, "Don't believe everything you read."  My hubby took it to mean that Romney isn't as shunned in the South as it's widely proclaimed.  Even in this article they mention it.  I still liked it and I thought I would share it with you all.

Romney could lift McCain in West
By KAREN E. CRUMMY - THE DENVER POST | 7/30/08
As Republican presidential candidate John McCain weighs his running-mate options, political experts say Mitt Romney would energize fundraising and generate the most enthusiasm in the Rocky Mountain West.

Speculation that Romney, who dropped out of the presidential primaries in February, tops McCain's vice-presidential list has burgeoned in recent weeks as voters rated the economy their No. 1 concern.

A Washington outsider who co-founded a private-equity firm and served as Massachusetts' governor, Romney is viewed as balancing the perceived shortcomings of McCain, who has been an Arizona senator for 22 years and has admitted that economic issues aren't his strength. Prior to dropping out of the campaign, Romney was substantially vetted, and he knows how to throw — and take — a punch.

Those factors alone might help a McCain-Romney ticket in the West. But Romney's ties to the region, which include attending Brigham Young University in Utah and rescuing the 2002 Winter Olympics, could reap big political gains for McCain.

It was Romney, after all, who beat McCain in five Western primaries.

"Romney knows the mountain West, he knows how to talk to people there and he had a strong ground troop of volunteers," said Dan Schnur, director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at the University of Southern California and communications director for McCain's 2000 presidential campaign.

Not that Romney doesn't have negatives. Though he may help McCain in Michigan, where Romney's father was governor, he could be a liability in the South.

In GOP strongholds such as Utah and Idaho, many LDS members are expected to help in get-out-the-vote efforts in surrounding states.

"They are a group that is situated in tight social groups, . . . and many see him as a pioneer " said David Campbell, a University of Notre Dame professor. "They may mobilize to act in other important states like New Mexico, California and Colorado."

In Colorado, for instance, where Romney beat McCain by 42 percentage points, El Paso County overwhelmingly backed Romney. The county is home to Colorado Springs, a conservative epicenter for evangelical Christian organizations.

Even Focus on the Family leader James Dobson — who has softened his stance on McCain, a candidate he had said he would never vote for — doesn't think Romney would be a bad VP choice.

"Dr. Dobson liked his speech about faith very much," said spokesman Gary Schneeberger, referring to Romney's December address, where he spoke about the importance of religion in American society but that it should be separate from public responsibilities. "He wants a pro-life running mate, and Romney qualifies for that."

McCain's campaign declined to comment for this story. Romney spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom said Romney "expects to be campaigning for John McCain as a supporter and not as a member of the ticket."

Others whom McCain is reportedly considering for VP include Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal — although last week, Jindal pulled himself out of contention.

Western primary voters favored Romney and his conservative, core party values over McCain, who often is viewed as a maverick by his own party. And Romney was the only GOP candidate to build a strong presence in those states.

"The organization is in place, but it would be fully energized if Romney was the VP," said Ryan Erwin, a Las Vegas Republican consultant who served as a Romney adviser during the primary.

 Here is a link to he rest of the article.