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Romney touts trade, immigration views in Washington state

By DAVID AMMONS
AP POLITICAL WRITER

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/642 ... visit.html

SEATAC, Wash. -- White House hopeful Mitt Romney, a former Republican governor, played up his free-trade views and business roots during a campaign visit to trade-dependent Washington state and Idaho on Monday.

Romney also whacked at his GOP challengers, calling himself much stronger on fighting illegal immigration than Rudy Giuliani and tougher on taxes than the surging Mike Huckabee. He also complained about foes who use his Mormon faith as a wedge issue with voters.

Romney, who made millions as an investment executive before going into politics and running the 2002 Winter Olympics in Utah, said his 25 years in business and his keen interest in international trade and intellectual property rights would make him the strongest champion for the economy.

Romney was in Idaho and Washington on Monday for what he called "some politicking and some fundraising." He expected to raise at least $250,000 in one day in the region. He has led his fellow Republican White House contenders in fundraising in Washington state, but has lagged in the polls. The region has a significant Mormon population.

Romney, making his second appearance in Democratic-leaning Washington, scheduled meetings at Microsoft Corp. in Redmond and an evening fundraiser in Medina. About 150 people were expected at the event, which carried a ticket price of $1,000 or $2,300 for a VIP photo reception.

The event was hosted by his state finance chairman, Wayne Perry, Edge Wireless millionaire, and his wife, Christine, and by his national finance chairman, David Nierenberg, an investment mogul, and his wife Patricia, from Camas. Romney announced a 28-member state finance committee headed by Perry and Nierenberg. Most of the members are from Vancouver or the high-tech corridor that includes Microsoft.

Romney has raised more than $500,000 here.

Romney leads in the polls in the early states of Iowa and New Hampshire, but trails in national polls and in Washington. Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor, has surged recently and visited Washington last week, picking up endorsements from some leading evangelical pastors.

At a wide-ranging news conference at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Romney rolled out his business-and-trade platform. Better than most, he said, Washington voters know the significance of free-trade policies and finding markets for American goods and services.

"There is no state in American where individuals derive a larger portion of their income from foreign trade than here in Washington," with per-capita exports of over $8,000, primarily due to Boeing airplanes, software and agricultural and timber products.

The state's high-tech industry, which includes Microsoft, biomedical companies and Nintendo, is put at risk by pirates who steal the patents, designs and applications and duplicate them around the globe, he said.

Romney described himself as the peerless champion of free trade.

"Don't close down America; don't put up walls around America," he said, accusing the Democratic field of "protectionist-type policies."

Romney said he supports all pending free-trade agreements and would stitch together a global trading partnership of the U.S. and all nations it has bilateral trade agreements with.

On other subjects, Romney:

-Said he will be a strong foe of illegal immigration. He said he would take away federal funds from states that give higher education grants to children of illegal immigrants and driver's licenses to undocumented workers. Washington state has both programs; it wasn't clear if Romney knows this.

Romney took a jab at the national Republican frontrunner, former New York Mayor Giuliani, as soft on illegal immigration. He said Giuliani's decision to make New York a sanctuary city made the problem worse.

A spokesman for Giuliani, Jarrod Agen, said Romney is ignoring his own record. When Romney was governor of Massachusetts, the number of illegal immigrants skyrocketed, while he recommended state aid to "sanctuary cities" and to companies employing illegal immigrants, he said.

-Romney complained that some opponents - he mentioned no names - are using his Mormon faith to raise doubts about his candidacy. One example was a telephone poll, apparently conducted for backers of Sen. John McCain, that raised the Mormon connection. McCain repudiated the effort.

"Everybody in this country, particularly preparing for the celebration of Thanksgiving and the American heritage of religious tolerance, was offended by use of someone's religion as a political weapon," Romney said. "It was repugnant and I believe Americans will see it as such and I hope it stops."

Earlier, Romney spent the night in Boise and attended a fundraising breakfast Monday at a local country club, raising an estimated $100,000. Romney was introduced to the crowd by Lt. Gov. Jim Risch, who is running for the U.S. Senate seat now held by embattled Republican Larry Craig. Risch is also serving as Romney's state chairman.

Craig served as Romney's campaign liaison in the Senate before Romney severed those ties in the wake of media reports that Craig was arrested and later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor stemming from an airport men's room sex sting operation.

In his fourth visit to Idaho this year, Romney focused his remarks on how his tax and spending plan differs from the Democrats.