Romney emphasizes conservative credentials; Richardson, Tancredo embrace underdog status

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, seeking to dispel doubts about his conservative credentials, acknowledged Saturday that he's shifted his abortion views. <br/><br/>``On

Saturday, January 27th 2007, 10:11 pm

By: News On 6

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, seeking to dispel doubts about his conservative credentials, acknowledged Saturday that he's shifted his abortion views.

``On abortion, I wasn't always a Ronald Reagan conservative,'' Romney told a gathering of conservatives. ``Neither was Ronald Reagan, by the way. But like him, I learned from experience.''

During his 2002 campaign for Massachusetts governor, Romney said that while he personally opposed abortion, he would leave the state's abortion laws intact.

In his speech Saturday, he said he had had a change of heart after a discussion with a stem cell researcher.

As he has campaigned in early-voting primary states, Romney has also cast himself as a defender of traditional marriage.

During his dinner speech at the National Review Institute's Conservative Summit, the former governor said he was a strong opponent of a November 2003 state supreme court decision making Massachusetts the first state to legalize gay marriage.

``I opposed then, and I do now, gay marriage and civil union,'' he said. ``I am proud of the fact that I and my team did everything within our power and within the law to stand up for traditional marriage.''

Romney struck a more moderate tone during his 2002 campaign for governor and his unsuccessful 1994 Senate race against Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass. In a letter sent during the Senate race, Romney promised a gay GOP group that he would be a stronger advocate for them than Kennedy was.

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RENO, Nev. (AP) _ New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson sought to separate himself from a crowded Democratic presidential field as he campaigned Saturday in Nevada.

Richardson accepted an invitation to appear in two candidate forums in the state _ Feb. 21 in Carson City and March 24 in Las Vegas. He also pledged to campaign in all 17 Nevada counties.

In 2008, for the first time, Nevada's Democratic presidential caucus will be held on Jan. 19, between Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucus and the New Hampshire primary.

``I know I'm the underdog, but I'm going to outwork the other candidates,'' Richardson told more than 50 supporters who greeted him at Reno-Tahoe International Airport.

``Nevada is going to be a critically important state because of its early caucus. I'm going to campaign very hard, door to door. I'm after voters, not big endorsements,'' he added.

The rally was the first of a series of activities that Richardson was to hold through Sunday in the Reno area. He addressed a Democratic group Saturday night in Minden and was to appear at a fundraising breakfast Sunday in Reno.

Retired Gen. Wesley Clark, another potential presidential candidate, also spoke Saturday to the Democrats in Minden. He said he is concerned about a possible military foray into Iran. ``It's amazing to me that the president doesn't think he has enough leverage yet to deal with the Iranians,'' Clark said.

Richardson pointed out that he's the only Democratic candidate who hails from the West.

``I'm a fellow Westerner,'' he said. ``The main issues today require someone with the background and heart, and I believe I have the best qualifications.''

Richardson said he's proud of his heritage but is not running as a Hispanic in a state that is nearly 23 percent Hispanic.

``I think it's a growing population, and I'll fight for every vote,'' he said.

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MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) _ The big draw at the New Hampshire Republican Party's annual meeting Saturday was former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who began the day by serving a full breakfast spread to 400 New Hampshire activists.

Later, Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado offered a buffet at his afternoon reception. He sat for hours as state activists holed up at the state party meeting. His staff waited for the meeting to end so they could woo activists.

Tancredo knows he's a long shot for the GOP presidential nomination.

``In my experience, that's not what it's going to take to win this primary or do to really well. Gourmet breakfasts, huge tents set up in Iowa, air conditioned with French doors _ those kinds of things will get people to attend. They won't necessarily get you votes,'' Tancredo said. ``Yeah, I'm an underdog, but it's been the case almost every single time I've run.''

In Colorado, Tancredo's anti-immigration argument is the bread-and-butter of the Republican's identity. Here in New Hampshire, though, he's finding trouble selling it. The state is 94 percent white, according to the most recent Census data. Only 4 percent of the population was born in another country.

New Hampshire's lack of interest in the issue won't be Tancredo's biggest problem.

``He's got a bigger problem of being in a crowded field as an unknown,'' said Andy Smith, director of the University of New Hampshire Survey Center. ``There's just so much political oxygen.''

Tancredo remained upbeat.

``Yes, it's David and Goliath. There's no two ways about it,'' he said. ``But you know what? David won.''