Ann Romney Talks Debates & Gender Gap During Visit To Altoona
ALTOONA (KDKA) -- Appearing at a fundraiser at the Blair County Convention Center in Altoona, KDKA Political Editor Jon Delano sat down briefly with Ann Romney.
Delano: "How are you holding up on this campaign trail?"
Mrs. Romney: "I'm actually happy that it's going to be over in three weeks. I'm sure we're all getting a little tired, a little road weary."
Mrs. Romney was in Altoona to raise money, lots of it at a pricey luncheon event off limits to the media, but she knows that a lot of people are thinking about her husband's Tuesday night debate.
"I have all the confidence in him. I really do. I think he's going to be great," she said. "He's someone that studies the issues very well. He's someone that really knows the answers."
The format will be a town meeting style, where the candidates answer questions posed by undecided voters.
"Mitt's very steady. If you look at all of his past debate performances, he performs well. And so we are again -- every debate is different. You don't know what questions will come up. What buttons will be pushed. It will be fun to watch," says Mrs. Romney.
Because her husband did so well in the first debate, is there pressure on her husband for a repeat?
"Well, I think the expectation is going to be on Obama this time, frankly, and not on my husband," she said.
And Mrs. Romney says the debates this year may count for more than usual.
"There are so many negative ads, so many negative things going on, that for someone to literally look at the candidates unfiltered and to just see what they want to see, I think the debates may actually be more important this cycle."
So, what about Gov. Romney's prospects in Pennsylvania?
"We're going up in the polls, and we just keep fighting. This is important to us," Mrs. Romney said. "My son was just here. My husband has been here quite a bit. I'm here. And we have a lot of folks on the ground, too."
Most polls show the President leading in Pennsylvania by four to eight points, but women favor Obama over Romney by 10 to 18 points.
Delano: "Why would you think that women would be less inclined to support your husband?"
Mrs. Romney: "It's actually pretty standard in presidential politics for that to be the case. I don't think it's any different than in any other presidential campaigns."
That may be true -- but in a close election -- women voters are important, so Mrs. Romney was asked about access to abortion and contraception.
Delano: "Do you believe that women should have the right to make their own decisions about their medical health. Is this a differentiation here?"
Mrs. Romney: "Well, you know, I'm gladly not the candidate, and if you want to ask that question of my husband, you're very welcome to."
It was clear Mrs. Romney did not want to talk about specific issues, sticking to this: "Women should have all the confidence in the world that their well-being will be kept safe with my husband."
Whatever the gender gap, plenty of women came out to see the potential First Lady.
The Romney campaign says they had more than 200 people attend the event in Altoona, and raised over a half million dollars.
RELATED LINKS:
Mitt Romney's Son, Josh, Says Pennsylvania Is Still Up For Grabs (9/22/12)
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