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Mrs. Romney's Errors Listed

Mrs. Romney's Errors Listed image
Parent Issue
Day
11
Month
August
Year
1970
Copyright
Copyright Protected
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Donated by the Ann Arbor News. © The Ann Arbor News.
OCR Text

WASHINGTON - M r s . Lenore Romney's narrow primary election victory has cast a long shadow over Republican chances to upset Democratie Sen. Philip A. Hart, a key GOP official says. But she could win, he believes, if she "benefits" from her mistakes, and if the over-all political climate in November favors Republican candidates. "Lenore didn't do as well as she hoped or ás many of us expected she would," the source said. Running as the party's preferred candidate, the wife of Ex-Gov. George Romney collected only 52 per cent of the vote in the Aug. 3 primary. Her opponent was State Sen. Robert J. Huber, a former Troy mayor with nol previous statewide election exposure. He ran on a conservative platform. The source said Mrs. Rom-i ney was hurt in the primary by being too closely identified with her husband, who heads the Department of Housing and Urban Development. She must push harder to achieve a separate political identity and show that she is not fronting for Romney, the source said. Mrs. Romney also needs to be more specific when shej campaigns, the source said. She must become issue-oriented. "I can understand why she didn't want to debate Huber on the issues - it would have split the party," the source said. Now she is free to confront) Hart on the issues - even though Hart's 12 years in the Senate should make him a tough debate opponent. The candidates are scheduled to share the platform on at least two occasions this fall and Hart has accepted an invitation to debate Mrs. Romney on a statewide television-radio hookup. The GOP source said there is no question that any Republican candidate would be an underdog against Hart.