A member of Tim Pawlenty’s New Hampshire steering committee has switched his allegiances to Mitt Romney over what he called the Pawlenty campaign’s failure to take advantage of momentum and opportunities. The Union Leader first reported the story.
“It had to do with, basically, the lack of his campaign developing in New Hampshire,” Doherty told The Daily Caller. “… He wasn’t capitalizing on opportunities either here in New Hampshire or nationwide.”
“When the campaign launched, it had a window of opportunity to capitalize on the momentum of it cause it was a successful launch,” said Doherty. But, “it doesn’t seem to have grown since then.”
Doherty also cited a “low level of grass roots organization.”
“The number of supporters statewide hasn’t really grown from what it was when it launched,” he said.
Originally, Doherty supported Pawlenty because “I thought he had the right experience. I still think he does have the right experience,” and because he felt that “in a general election situation he could bring together the factions of the party.”
He chose Romney because “he is running a strong campaign here and nationwide. He is talking about jobs and the economy. He has good experience – I always like someone who has executive experience if they’re going to run the country.”
“I still have respect and admiration for Governor Pawlenty,” Doherty said. “I just didn’t think it was feasible to continue supporting his campaign.”