Romney warns of 'Hillary's House of Horrors'

Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney offered a verbal tour of "Hillary's House of Horrors" on Saturday, conjuring images of Halloween spook houses to underscore his criticisms of Democratic front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton.

"You go in one room, she wants to raise your taxes. You go in another room and she wants to have government taking over health care," Romney said to laughter and applause at a town hall meeting in southwest Florida just days before the scary Halloween holiday on Wednesday. "You go in the next room and she's weakened homeland security by voting against the authority of our government to listen in to al-Qaida's calls."

Romney said he would keep Clinton from reaching the White House not by acting like her — an apparent dig at rival Rudy Giuliani — but by building on the conservative foundation laid by Ronald Reagan.

Pledge of bi-partisanship
Romney also touted his bipartisan work with a Democratic legislature while he was governor of Massachusetts. Responding to an audience member who expressed frustration with Congress members who strictly vote along party lines, Romney pledged to work with opposition leaders.

"We had to agree to solve things together," Romney said, citing his state's health care reform effort and balanced budget. "I will not make it a personal, rancorous battle."

Reached by telephone later in the day, Clinton campaign spokesman, Mo Elleithee said: "Given Governor Romney's long history of flip floppping on issues, we're not worried. We expect him to endorse us any day."

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

Struggling in Florida
This is Romney's 18th campaign trip to the Sunshine State, but a recent poll from Quinnipiac University showed him last among the top four Republican candidates, with 12 percent voter support. Giuliani remained ahead of the pack with 30 percent; John McCain and Fred Thompson were tied with 14 percent.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

Asked about the poll numbers after the town hall meeting, Romney acknowledged, "I've got a long way to go."

"But if someone were fortunate enough to do real well in Iowa and New Hampshire, you can bet they're going to get a real boost in Florida," Romney said. "I'm pleased that in the early states where I've spent the most time, I'm doing the best. If it were the opposite, I'd be worried."