Mitt Romney touts conservative credentials in new ad

By Shira Schoenberg, Globe Correspondent

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is a conservative. At least, that is the point the former Massachusetts governor is trying to make with a new TV ad airing in Iowa.

The new ad, titled “Conservative Agenda,” shows Romney speaking on the stump and meeting with voters, as he makes a series of commitments. “I am going to do something to government. I’m going to make it ‘Simpler, and Smaller, and Smarter,’” Romney says. “Getting rid of programs, turning programs back to states, and finally making government itself more efficient.”

Romney pledges to repeal President Obama’s health care overhaul and balance the federal budget.

The ad comes as Romney tries to counter the perception among some conservative Republican voters that he is too moderate. A NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll conducted Dec. 7-11 found that only 29 percent of Republican primary voters nationally viewed Romney as “conservative” – compared to 57 percent for former House speaker Newt Gingrich and 48 percent for Texas Representative Ron Paul. More than half of those polled – 53 percent – called Romney a moderate while 11 percent considered him liberal.

Romney will campaign in New Hampshire tomorrow with a breakfast event in Londonderry, followed by a noon-time discussion of the economy in Portsmouth. He will then travel to Iowa, where he will remain for the rest of the week, stumping for votes before next Tuesday’s Iowa caucuses.

Shira Schoenberg can be reached at sschoenberg@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @shiraschoenberg.