Adwatch: Romney Highlights Family

AP

Monday, Nov. 19, 2007 | 8:42 a.m.

TITLE: "American Family."

LENGTH: 30 seconds.

AIRING: Iowa and New Hampshire.

SCRIPT: Mitt Romney: "I'm Mitt Romney, and I approve this message. The future of this country is more affected by the work that goes on within the four walls of the home than anything else. You teach kids about what TV to watch. You teach them how to read." Ann Romney: "And that's how we raised our boys, is knowing that they were the focus." Mitt Romney: "It's just essential to have a home where faith, where love of country, where determination, where all of these features that are so much a part of America's culture are tied to our kids. And without them, I don't see how a society continues to lead the world."

KEY IMAGES: Multiple images of Romney and his wife, Ann, in candid clips or speaking directly to the camera. Scenes from Romney family home movies and political coffee klatches where voters nod as Romney speaks. Children stand before a flag, pledging allegiance. A young boy runs the bases in a Little League baseball game. As the ad ends, the text emphasizes the message: "Pro-life," "Pro-family," "Strong America, strong families"

ANALYSIS: The Romneys, who have been married 38 years, have five adult sons and 10 grandchildren. Family is a powerful message for Romney and it can serve two distinct purposes in Iowa and New Hampshire. In Iowa, Romney is fending off a surge from former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who is popular with social conservatives. By highlighting his telegenic family and emphasizing the role of families in the culture, Romney appeals to a similar bloc of voters with a personal message that can help allay concerns about his past social policy stances, particularly abortion.

In New Hampshire, recent polls place Rudy Giuliani and John McCain in a second-place tie behind Romney. The ad offers an unstated contrast with McCain, who is in his second marriage, and Giuliani, who has been estranged from his children after a public split from his second wife. The ad also attempts to remove any mystery surrounding Romney's Mormon religion, by emphasizing common values such as faith and patriotism. Ann Romney, seeking to deflect the Mormon history of polygamy with a joke, once told supporters at a campaign event that the biggest difference between her husband and some of his GOP rivals is that "he's had only one wife."

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Analysis by Associated Press Writer Jim Kuhnhenn

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net:http://www.mittromney.com/

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