In analyses conducted by Patch editors and reporters in the three states -- who interviewed Republican insiders who have been judging presidential races for multiple cycles -- Romney came out on top in New Hampshire, Perry won out South Carolina and Paul finished first in Iowa. Although not scientific, the rankings looked at the number of campaign volunteers for each presidential candidate on the ground, attendance at candidate events and responsiveness to volunteer inquiries.
Iowa Republicans said many of the candidates have not built strong field organizations in the state, Patch reported, and couldn't compete with the group that Paul has assembled. The Texas congressman’s Iowa organization includes a mix of paid staffers, volunteers and local supporters scattered around the state. The Patch report did not rank any of the other candidates as having the second-best ground game in the state.
“It’s not a very good day for organizational efforts,” former Iowa Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Gross said to Patch.
But those interviewed in Iowa said the other candidates cannot be counted out of the state’s ground game war yet, and said that Romney can tap into his 2008 network, while Perry gained a base of support from former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s campaign after Pawlenty dropped out of the GOP race.
With New Hampshire’s primary date in flux after Friday’s decision to move the Florida primary to Jan. 31, ground games continue to be judged in the Granite State. Romney, former governor of neighboring Massachusetts, is being judged by observers to have the best ground game in New Hampshire. New Hampshire observers pointed to the quality of the team Romney has assembled in the state, Patch reported, along with the visibility the Romney team has shown.
“At the end of the day, the Romney people understand this is a marathon, not a sprint,” Pat Griffin, a senior fellow at Saint Anselm College’s New Hampshire Institute of Politics, told Patch. “It’s really about reaching out to grassroots activists, getting people involved, getting the message out in as many platforms as you can. They’ve done it by mail, traditional media and digitally, and by hosting town hall meetings and going into homes.”
"As Republican voters decide who is best suited to lead this country in a new direction by stopping the spending spree and scrapping Obamacare, I am confident they will choose a nominee who has governed on conservative principles, not one whose health care policies paved the way for Obamacare," Perry said.
"I knew when I got into this race I would have my hands full fighting President Obama's big government agenda. I just didn't think it would be in the Republican primary," Perry continued.
The speech to the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, an Atlanta-based conservative think tank, received polite applause from the crowd, which included a number of prominent Romney supporters in Georgia.
Perry offered no policy specifics, instead pointing to Texas as a roadmap for a Perry presidency.
"I have a lengthy record, and sometimes it has ruffled feathers," Perry said. "But sometimes you have to shake up the system. I am not running from my record."
Perry has been battling back after a shaky debate performance, after which he admitted that he used "inappropriate" language when he called Republican rivals "heartless." Perry was defending a Texas law that allows illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition at state universities if they meet certain criteria.
The Romney campaign accused Perry of misrepresenting the former Massachusetts governor's record. "Rick Perry once again has run into problems with the truth," spokeswoman Andrea Saul said.
Perry's speech comes as the presidential candidates face an important fundraising deadline Friday in the latest quarter of the campaign cycle.
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