Politics

CHICAGO (CBS) ― Republican Mitt Romney made a campaign swing through the Chicago suburbs Sunday.The Republican presidential candidate is confident he will take Illinois on Super Tuesday, but as CBS 2's political editor Mike Flannery reports, Romney also offered up a warning about rival John McCain.

During a quick stop in the western suburbs, Mitt Romney warned that John McCain is preparing to lead the Republican party away from its conservative principles.

"Do we want someone leading our party and be our nominee who voted against the Bush tax cuts?" Romney asked a group of supporters.

Their answer was a resounding "no."

Mitt Romney and other top Republicans have to be concerned, though, about what's been happening in Illinois in the collar counties in early voting.

Democrats far outnumbered Republicans for the first time ever among suburban early voters. GOP leaders pointed to Barack Obama as the impetus.

"And if he's the nominee, there'll be a favorite son effect," Illinois Republican Party Chairman Andy McKenna said. "On the other hand, if the Democratic party picks Sen. Clinton, people in Illinois will be let down. And I think certainly either Sen. McCain or Gov. Romney can appeal to them."

In an interview Sunday, former Massachusetts Gov. Romney told CBS 2 he could end the GOP's nearly quarter-century of Presidential futility here.

"I'll fight here to keep good jobs here. I'll also fight for the Olympics," Romney said. "I'd be able to be competitive in Illinois in a general election."

Romney predicted Obama would have trouble winning even his home state in November.

"I can't imagine America choosing someone to run the country who's never run even a corner store," Romney said about Obama.

When asked if that's Obama's biggest vulnerability, Romney responded: "I think his biggest vulnerability relates to the fact that he's not had any significant experience managing, leading, running something. And also, I think his views are so far out of the mainstream of American thought on issues."

Mitt Romney lit into his chief Republican rival, John McCain, as too close on too many issues to liberal Democrats,too.

"There's a battle for the heart and soul of the Republican party right now," Romney said. "Are we gonna take a sharp turn to the left? Get as close as we can to Hillary Clinton? Do we wanna have a person lead our party who fought for McCain-Kennedy, an amnesty bill for illegal aliens? No."

John McCain largely ignored Romney's criticism today while campaigning in Fairfield, Conn. Earlier, McCain told a CBS-News broadcast that it's ridiculous to call him liberal.

"I am proud of my conservative record; I'm going to run on that and I'm proud of the supporters I have," McCain said.

McCain is taking heart from the fact that voter opinion surveys show him widening a lead nationwide, especially in a number of key Super Tuesday states over Mitt Romney.

Appearing with one-time Democratic nominee for vice-president Joseph Lieberman Sunday, McCain professed devotion to true Republican principles.

"We know why we lost the 2006 election, because we let spending get completely out of control," McCain said. "I'm gonna veto every pork barrel bill that comes across my desk."

Speaking of money, the two top Republicans are spending only about 15 percent of what the two top Democrats are spending in advance of Super Tuesday.

Romney, who won the caucus in Maine, said if there ever was a year when voter poll surveys were unreliable, this is it. He thinks he will be alive and well on Wednesday looking forward to a long, long primary season. 

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