Politics & Government

VIDEO: Romney's Lean Years in France

During a Dec. 11 campaign stop in Hudson Romney opens up about a formative experience working as a Mormon missionary in France.

On the campaign trail Mitt Romney is notoriously scripted and, like most of his fellow candidates, has a few good stories he recycles to underscore his accomplishements and strengths. On Sunday, Romney opened up a little bit more than usual, answering a question about a life experience that helped change his perspective on life (see video).

Romney packed the Hudson VFW Post on this campaign stop, a town hall style forum on Dec. 11 hosted by Jennifer Horn's We the People Freedom Forum.

After the event we caught up with a few Romney supporters, including Bob Duffy of Nashua, who said he's supporting Romney after some serious deliberation.

Find out what's happening in Nashuawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"I've kept my eyes and ears open, but at this point I feel Romney is the best choice over all. Once someone seems to pull ahead of the pack, the rest are sort of thrown over the side," said Duffy.

"The only candidate I wouldn't want to see get the nomination is Ron Paul. I like him, but he's eccentric. Actually, it's more his followers that are eccentric, and so either they know something we don't know, or Ron Paul just wouldn't have a chance to beat Obama in the general election."

Find out what's happening in Nashuawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Joe Boike of Arlington, Mass., said he is also a Romney supporter, as opposed to a "Mitthead."

"I'm not a Mitthead; just a supporter. A Mitthead is someone who's crazy over Romney. I would say that I support Mitt because he has the best chance of winning. I did like Ron Paul, but I see Mitt as the one who has remained steady in the polls. He's not up and down like some of the others," Boike said.

Neither Duffy nor Boike care for Gingrich.

"It's nothing personal, I guess; I'm just not a fan. One thing that's bothered me is that you saw Herman Cain get knocked over, again and again, for questions about fidelity, none of them proven. Yet nobody seems to care that Gingrich cheated on two of his wives. He gets a free pass, yet it's a deal-breaker for Cain," Boike said.

"And I also don't understand how Gingrich's numbers just jumped all of a sudden. He came out of nowhere."

One of Romney's younger fans, Aiden Fergusun, of Massachusetts, managed to circumvent the wooden barriers in place, with a push from his dad, and make his way up to the candidate for an autograph. He was carrying a baseball from a Boston Red Sox game in one hand, and a glossy photo of Romney in the other.

After scoring two signatures, the boy showed off his prizes. "Yeah, it's from a Red Sox game," he said of the baseball, twirling it around in his fingers before heading back over to his dad.


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