Romney acknowledges WI may be up for grabs in November

JANESVILLE -- There was a stop in Wisconsin along the road to the White House for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney Monday, June 18th. Romeny's bus tour made a stop at Monterey Mills in Janesville. Monday marked Romney's first visit to Wisconsin since winning the primary back in April, and since Republican Gov. Scott Walker won the recall.

During his appearance Monday, Romney acknowledged what the polls suggest -- that Wisconsin may be up for grabs in November.

"I'll tell you friends, I think President Obama had just put this in his column. He just assumed from the very beginning that Wisconsin was going to be his, but you know what? We're going to win Wisconsin and we're going to get the White House," Romney said.

Wisconsin could be one of the most closely contested battleground states in the 2012 presidential campaign. A recent poll showed Romney with a three-point lead over President Obama in the state. Therefore, Romney made sure to include Wisconsin on the fourth day of his five-day bus tour of battleground states.

Romney campaigned at Monterey Mills -- a textile factory in the hometown of Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan, who appeared with Romney, fueling vice-presidential speculation.

"We are unique in Wisconsin with the other battleground states. We, along with a handful of other states, will determine the trajectory of this country," Ryan said.

Romney argued the country's trajectory under President Obama has been pointing downward, and Obama's policies have hampered job creation. Romney cited a Chamber of Commerce survey from earlier this year.

"They asked 1,500 small businesses: what has Obamacare done?  Three quarters of them said it made them less likely to hire people. If your priority is jobs, you've got to get rid of Obamacare," Romney said.

Meanwhile, Democrats said Romney is selling policies that have failed the middle class.

"Mitt Romney is here in Janesville today selling policies that we've tried, and have failed the middle class. We feel there is a very clear choice in this election between Mitt Romney and President Obama and where they'd take this country," Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Mike Tate said.

Gov. Scott Walker joined Romney in Janesville Monday as well, where he made reference to his recent recall victory.

"It is my honor to still be the 45th governor of the great state of Wisconsin, and it's my honor to be on stage with the man I hope is the 45th president of these United States," Gov. Walker said.

Many experts say we can expect future visits from candidates leading up to the election in November, as Wisconsin is projected to be a key battleground state.

Related stories: