Adviser: Romney will announce formal White House run next week
Mitt Romney, sending a clear signal of how important his native Michigan will be to his 2008 presidential campaign, will launch a formal bid for the White House next week in suburban Detroit, according to an adviser.
Romney, the adviser said, will kick off his campaign Tuesday at the Ford Museum in Dearborn, a fitting backdrop for a man who grew up the son of a Michigan auto executive. The event will begin a four-state, three-day announcement tour of Michigan, Iowa, South Carolina, and New Hampshire, all of which will be central battlegrounds in next year's Republican presidential primary.
The capstone event will be a fund-raising reception Thursday at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center in South Boston.
News of Romney's formal announcement comes as no surprise, as he's been laying the groundwork for a presidential run for more than two years. But it ends the exploratory nature of Romney's campaign and makes clear he's in the 2008 contest for the long haul.
Romney is hoping that Michigan, which is considering making its primary one of the nation's earliest, will give him a major boost, because he enjoys high name recognition in the state and has many friends and supporters there. But one of Romney's top rivals, Arizona Senator John McCain, has strong support there, too, and promises to give him a run for his money.
VIDEO: Romney is also in Michigan tomorrow for a speech to the Detroit Economic Club, and this weekend for an address to the state Republican convention.
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