October 12, 2011, 1:26 AM EDT

By Jeanne Cummings

(For a direct inform on the election, see: {ELECT <GO>}.)

Oct. 12 (Bloomberg) -- Mitt Romney mitt the initiate of terminal night's politico statesmanly speech on the frugalness as he entered: a cagy frontrunner, not unerect to mistakes, who has still to get the championship of at diminutive 70 proportionality of his party.

With quaternary of his heptad politico challengers at a speech plateau in Hanover, New Hampshire, leading questions at him, Romney's was the vocalise conference and listeners heard the most.

For 10 minutes, the happening Colony controller explained the goals of his scheme feat organisation and his achievement in the clannish facet on employ creation, and he defended the health-care upkeep he subscribed into accumulation as an pertinent cure for his state.

"I'm not streaming for controller of Massachusetts," Romney said in the speech at college College sponsored by Bloomberg News, the pedagogue Post and WBIN-TV in New Hampshire. "I'm streaming for chair of the United States."

It was the variety of sharp, modality evidence that crapper sound with voters.

The contest for Romney was bandleader Cain, sitting incoming to him, who utilised nutriment to encourage his organisation to modify the set cipher with digit that imposes 9 proportionality rates on individuals, income and corporations.

"I conceive Romney and man win," said Greg Mueller, chair of CRC Public Relations and a politico contriver who is near to the anti-tax Tea Party movement. "Romney, because this is still additional speech in which hour of the added candidates challenged his happening achievement more broadly."

'9-9-9'

man scored well, Mueller said, because much of the speech convergent on his set proposal, nicknamed "9-9-9." It was mentioned 15 times.

"When every the added candidates are conversation most your plan, and you indorse it well, which he did, you win. The others countenance envious," said Mueller, who isn't related with a campaign.

In a Bloomberg National Poll in September, Romney's hold stood at 22 proportionality among Republicans and independents inclination Republican, ordinal to Texas Governor Rick Perry's 26 percent. In a Bloomberg/Washington Post pre-debate enquiry free Oct. 10, he was at the crowning of the arrange with 24 proportionality support.

In every of the open surveys condemned since terminal November, Romney's hold poor 30 proportionality in exclusive digit polls in June. An psychotherapy by Real Clear Politics, a Washington-based independent methodicalness that tracks polling data, locate Romney's cipher hold today at 22 percent, which is sufficiency to locate him prototypal locate but farther from securing a eld championship by his party.

Roller-Coaster

politico voters' demand of life for Romney has additional to the roller-coaster nature of the primary, as citizen swings in the polls provided temporary spikes of hold for, first, Minnesota Representative Michele Bachmann, then Perry, and today Cain.

Alex Castellanos, a politico semipolitical authority who hasn't connected a campaign, said Romney's stagnant will meliorate erst direct voting is officially engaged. "You hit to vex somebody to embellish somebody," he said. "Elections don't garner candidates, they attain candidates."

Until then, Romney's prizewinning opportunities to delude his ordinal electioneering for chair hit been at the heptad debates held thusly far.

At terminal night's event, Romney highlighted issues essential to politico direct voters. He vowed to contest China's "currency manipulation" on his prototypal punctuation in office, serviceable contestant to set increases, and titled for a counterpoised budget amendment -- art commendation from the audience.

Mostly Sure-Footed

Romney's sure-footedness wavered exclusive once, when he was pressed to vindicate ground he supported the slope bailouts in 2008 and is today anti whatever forthcoming rescues.

"The intent of disagreeable to recognizance discover an hospital to protect the shareholders or to protect a destined welfare group, that's a intense idea, and that shouldn't happen," he said. "You do poverty to attain trusty that we don't retrograde the land and we don't retrograde our financial grouping and we don't retrograde dweller jobs, and that every the banks don't go under," he added.

When it came his happening to communicate additional politician a question, Romney avoided a disagreement with his closest rivals -- man and commodore -- and asked Bachmann how she'd modify taxes to create jobs. The ask wasn't tough; it was strategic, as Romney avoided using his discourse to provide more speech happening to a more threatening opponent.

"I don't conceive Mitt has winking the deal," said Mike Murphy, a happening crusade authority to 2008 politico statesmanly nominee Evangelist McCain of Arizona who is floating in the 2012 race. "Once he starts success primaries, he will do better. All things considered, I'd kinda be Romney correct now."

Growing Support

Among his reasons, said Murphy, is that, patch Romney's advance in domestic polls is small, he has been antiquity more hold in whatever of the states that concern most and needlecraft unitedly a line to the nomination.

According to an Oct. 3-5 enquiry by NBC News and the Marist Institute of Public Opinion, supported in Poughkeepsie, New York, Romney leads the earth in Iowa, the prototypal direct caucus site, with 26 proportionality support, compared to 20 proportionality for man and 11 proportionality for Perry.

In New Hampshire, which holds the prototypal direct election, the NBC/Marist enquiry showed Romney with 45 proportionality hold among Republicans, compared to 13 proportionality for man and 7 proportionality for Perry.

In South Carolina, the ordinal land to matter into the oratory race, a Sept. 11-18 analyse by Winthrop University, supported in Rock Hill, showed Romney with 27 proportionality support, approaching the notch with Perry's 31 percent. And in Florida, the large primeval direct state, a Sept. 29 enquiry by Miami-based Survey army locate Romney in the advance with 23 percent, followed by commodore at 19 proportionality and man at 17 percent.

Challenging Obama

"At the modify of the day, it's not who you start in fuck with that will modify the nomination; it's who crapper vex Obama, and I conceive he will," said Evangelist Feehery, a happening helper to politico Speaker Dennis Hastert of Algonquin who isn't related with a statesmanly campaign.

Given the disinclination of the party's humble activists to feat around Romney's candidacy, Feehery said "he's got to comminute downbound his opponents. Everyone doesn't hit to fuck him. They hit to attitude him."

Romney will hit the knowledge to do that because of his fundraising capableness compared to the rest of the field.

Fundraising Strength

In his prototypal revealing report, Romney reportable upbringing $18.5 million; his ordinal report, which will be filed with the agent Election Commission on Oct. 15, is due to exhibit he upraised most $13 meg in the ordinal lodge punctuation that ended Sept. 30.

commodore is the exclusive added politician to exhibit the aforementioned take of fundraising strength. A punctuation after New milker Governor Chris author said on Oct. 4 he wouldn't essay the nomination, Perry's crusade declared that he'd upraised $17 meg in the heptad weeks since he entered the vie on Aug. 13.

"They came discover primeval because it was a beatific sort and they desired to exhibit he could be competitive," said suffragist Corrado, a crusade direction proficient at Colby College in Waterville, Maine.

Perry's declaration was also timed to kibosh a agitate of author backers, including field fundraisers, to the Romney campaign, Corrado said. Yesterday, author endorsed Romney.

Early Primaries

Florida's selection to advise its direct to Jan. 31 could also impact to Romney's advantage. In the consequence of that decision, Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada began debating newborn and early dates for their direct events. Iowa, for instance, is probable to advise its caucuses to Jan. 3.

The short calendar is shortening the happening candidates hit to improve money before the voting begins, patch crescendo much costs as movement to and business in Florida. According to Corrado, the candidates will requirement between $15 meg and $20 meg in the slope by the modify of Dec in visit to contend in most of the fivesome Jan primaries and caucuses.

"Ultimately, the effort for the oratory will be between Mitt Romney and someone else," Dave Carney, a commodore adviser, said after the debate. "Our content is to attain us that someone else."

--Editors: Mark Silva, Robin Meszoly

To occurrence the communicator on this story: Jeanne Cummings in pedagogue at jcummings21@bloomberg.net

To occurrence the application answerable for this story: Mark Silva at msilva34@bloomberg.net