Mitt Romney Mistakes New Hampshire For Iowa (VIDEO)

WASHINGTON -- Criss-crossing from early primary state to early primary state can get tiring. After awhile, it probably gets hard to tell Nashua from Des Moines.

Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney ran into this problem when campaigning in Manchester on Friday, speaking at a town hall sponsored by the Granite Oath PAC. A tracker for the Democratic independent expenditure group American Bridge 21st Century caught Romney confusing the Granite State with the Hawkeye State (emphasis added):

I had Arnold Schwarzenegger come to my state and try to poach jobs from my state. I thought, "How in the world could he do this to a fellow Republican?" He put billboards up! With him on the billboard. And it said, you know, he was in a T-shirt there and it says "Come to California." So what do you think, I put billboards up in his state. And, uh, it had me in a T-shirt, flexing my muscles. And it said, "Smaller muscles, but much lower taxes. Come to Massachusetts." You guys are supposed to do that here in Iowa. I wouldn’t be able to compete in that case. Zero tax rate is pretty darn good.

Manchester is in New Hampshire, not Iowa.

WATCH:

Romney's campaign didn't immediately return a request for comment.

American Bridge 21st Century is what is known as a "super PAC," meaning it's allowed to raise and spend unlimited amounts of money but must operate independently of candidates. All donors must be disclosed to the Federal Elections Commission. The newly formed group has hired a team of 20 researchers and a dozen professional trackers, political operatives who go to campaign events and videotape candidates in hopes of catching interesting -- and potentially embarrassing -- moments.

While it's unlikely this small gaffe will cost Romney many votes, it shows that candidates have to be very careful what they say, since trackers for opposition groups are watching closely.

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Comments

[Ana Cohan]

04:09 PM on 08/16/2011

I am not Mitt Romney fan but this isn't really a story. I am sure that if most of us were out there going from place to place and talking non-stop all day long we would all make some sort of verbal gaffes. It happens!

[ReealOne]

03:49 PM on 08/16/2011

The problem here is that the republican candidates for POTUS just wants to show up on January 20 of whatever election year it is and not campaign at all.

For the republicans, all of that knowledge stuff just gets on their last nerves, and they don't have time learning about the country's issues and kissing all of those lil' messy unattractive babies with loaded diapers that the voters shoves at them to take pictures with.

If they could just do low, soft-ball interviews with faux entertainment and ignore all of the other "elite" medias and get away with it - they'd do it in a heartbeat.

[madmadmac]

03:03 PM on 08/16/2011

If he can't figure out where he is now, how will he figure out anything else if elected

[Alex Hoopes]

12:36 PM on 08/16/2011

Oh, who cares. Obama said there were 57 states in the Union when he ran. Campaigning is hard work, people get tired, and ultimately little slips of the mouth like this are utterly meaningless. Let's talk policy positions, already, and get off this campaign minutiae kick.

[PS Nymn]

12:06 PM on 08/16/2011

I just hope Mitt remembers he's in Washington, D.C. when he receives that 3 a.m. phone call.

[mcmutter]

12:05 PM on 08/16/2011

Mr Robot .... clueless as usual ..... but staying on script .....

[juliebird]

12:02 PM on 08/16/2011

Meh.
Of all the things wrong with Mitt Romney, this slip of the tongue isn't worth mentioning.

[acct deletus arbitrarium]

11:47 AM on 08/16/2011

So he got the name of the state wrong, big deal. We do have 57 of them you know.

[mcmutter]

12:06 PM on 08/16/2011

and we have two jeebus ...

the real one

and the one the wingers worship

[AJH]

11:41 AM on 08/16/2011

At this rate the OWG"S(Old White Guys) are going to make bachman look like the most professional candidate in the race.

[JudgeCCrater]

11:21 AM on 08/16/2011

When the 'smartest' R candidate makes W look smart, you know they've entered a political race to the bottom.

[Chamique Parker]

11:18 AM on 08/16/2011

Do you really want to bring up geography?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpGH02DtIws

[Pammy2]

02:36 PM on 08/16/2011

I've noticed quite a few people commenting here, presumably all liberal, myself included, who concede Romney had a slip of the tongue. This is no big deal. He misspoke, no story, move along.

Will you conservatives EVER concede the same about Obama's 57 state slip-up?

No, I didn't think so.

That's why I choose to be on this side.

[inkongirl]

10:59 AM on 08/16/2011

He's suffering from sleep deprivation already?

[oldfloozie]

08:48 AM on 08/16/2011

North Korea is our ally...too..

[Roommate]

08:46 AM on 08/16/2011

Everyone loves zero taxes

[gaydood]

08:43 AM on 08/16/2011

he wants to be prezz? ROFL !