Republican nominee Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign is diverting substantial resources from Pennsylvania to Ohio, according to a knowledgeable campaign source who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.
Field staff for the campaign were told about the decision during a conference call late Monday, the source said. Instructions were not sent via email to avoid leaks to the media.
A Romney official denied to The Daily Caller that the campaign was moving out of Pennsylvania entirely, but confirmed that some of the state’s staff were headed to Ohio — a state every Republican president has won on the road to the White House.
John Gibson, Romney’s Pennsylvania campaign manager, would not comment when reached by phone and asked about the situation. He referred TheDC to the Romney campaign’s press office.
A Quinnipiac/New York Times/CBS News poll conducted in late September showed Romney trailing Obama by 12 percentage points in Pennsylvania and 10 in Ohio.
But following his strong performance in last week’s presidential debate, Romney appeared resurgent, both nationally and in Pennsylvania. A Susquehanna Polling and Research poll conducted immediately after the debate found Obama holding on to a narrow two-point lead. (RELATED: Romney now leading Obama by four points among likely voters in post-debate Pew poll)
Romney had assured reporters on Friday that he would compete for Pennsylvania’s 20 electoral votes.
“I’ve got a little secret here and that is that the Obama campaign thinks Pennsylvania is in their pocket — they don’t need to worry about it.” Romney told a crowd in Pennsylvania on Friday. “And you’re right and they’re wrong: We’re going to win Pennsylvania.”
Reached late Monday, the Romney campaign’s national headquarters reiterated that the campaign still believes the state is within reach.