Mitt Romney's efforts to forge a more positive relationship with the conservative media included an off-the-record sitdown with Fox News executives in early November, the New York Times reported Friday.
Romney's strategy of avoiding the media provoked a heated backlash from high-profile anchors and reporters, from Fox News' Chris Wallace to Time's Joe Klein, who told The Huffington Post it was "idiotic" for Romney to duck him.
However, over the past few weeks, Romney has ramped up his media appearances — on Fox News, at least. His famously testy chat with Bret Baier was followed by another interview with Neil Cavuto and a n appearance on Mike Huckabee's show. Next Sunday, he'll be talking to Chris Wallace in his first Sunday show interview in 18 months.
Some of this new blitz may have its roots in a meeting Romney held in early November with Fox News' senior vice president Michael Clemente, along with several anchors and reporters. Clemente told the Times that the meeting lasted for an hour and "went very well from both sides."
Perhaps Romney has also seen the same numbers that the Times did in a recent survey of Iowa voters. The people who turned to Fox News for their main information overwhelmingly told the paper that they were voting for Romney's main rival, Newt Gingrich.
Romney essentially admitted that he wants to woo some of those voters to his side in his talk with Cavuto. "I'll be on Fox a lot because you guys matter when it comes to Republican primary voters," he said.