Democrats Keep Focus on Romney

By MCHAEL D. SHEAR
NYT

DES MOINES — If Mitt Romney wins the Iowa caucuses and goes on to eventually snag the Republican nomination, the prize for the best crystal ball may go to none other than the Democratic Party.

For nearly the entire year, the Democratic National Committee has been focused like a laser on Mr. Romney, even as Republicans flirted with other hopefuls.

When Michele Bachmann emerged as the victor of the straw poll in Ames, Democratic officials and members of President Obama’s reelection campaign continued to hammer Mr. Romney. The same happened when Rick Perry entered the race and when Herman Cain shot up in the polls.

More recently, the emergence of Newt Gingrich as the leader in some polls earlier this month was not enough to distract the Democratic National Committee from keeping their research focused on Mr. Romney. Now, with Mr. Romney near the top in some Iowa polls and with a commanding lead in New Hampshire surveys, the Democratic attention may be paying off.

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