WEST DES MOINES, Iowa – An Iowa victory within reach, an increasingly confident Mitt Romney on Friday cast chief GOP presidential rival Ron Paul as a fringe candidate and said: “I’m working harder than anyone to make sure he’s not the nominee.”
“I don’t think Ron Paul represents the mainstream,” Romney added, his criticism illustrating an attempt to bloody the Texas congressman who, like Romney, is in strong contention to win Tuesday’s caucuses.
The libertarian-leaning Paul, campaigning on the western side of the state, didn’t immediately respond.
Romney commented on Paul’s candidacy in interviews with Fox News Channel and NBC News after appearing with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie before several hundred people outside a grocery store near Des Moines.
Mindful not to ignore another key state, Romney was dashing to New Hampshire later Friday for a couple of appearances and rolled out a fresh TV ad there. He returns to Iowa on Saturday
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