Mitt Romney won the endorsement of the Arizona Republic Friday, a nice get even for a candidate who seems en route to winning that state's winner-take-all primary this coming Tuesday.
But as it's done in the past, the campaign's press shop left out the paper's criticism of the former Massachusetts governor's record when blasting the editorial to reporters. Sentences and paragraphs were replaced by ellipses in the Romney campaign's email, including a line acknowledging the similarity between Obama's health care plan and a criticism of Romney's stance on the Dream Act. The following excerpt did not appear in the campaign's email:
We have our issues with Romney, to be sure. His opposition to the Dream Act for illegal-immigrant children raised in the U.S. is not one we support. And his effort to position himself as the "toughest" GOP candidate on immigration issues is a concern. Still, we believe Romney is the most prudent, responsible and electable of the four GOP candidates still actively competing.
Romney's team has done this with less than glowing endorsements in the past. It's worth noting that the Arizona Republic was far more praiseworthy in its editorial than, say, the Detroit Free Press. And for some reason or another, Romney's team decided to edit out some of the Republic's praise as well.
The following paragraph, for instance, was not included in the campaign's announcement:
Especially when compared with the unpredictable volatility of a Newt Gingrich, Romney's steady demeanor is a great asset. Unlike Gingrich, who set off international alarm bells with his careless reference to Palestinians as an "invented people," Romney has raised no eyebrows. In debates, his foreign-policy views reflect a deep grasp of American interests overseas, particularly as they apply to the Middle East generally and Afghanistan in particular.
Also on HuffPost:
Arizona newspaper backs Romney
Romney's Arizona Co-Chair resigns due to deportation scandal
Loading comments… 99.9% precincts reporting
| Candidate | Votes | Pct. | Del. |
|---|---|---|---|
 Romney |
409,899 | 41.1% | 15 |
 Santorum |
377,521 | 37.9% | 15 |
 Paul |
115,712 | 11.6% | |
 Gingrich |
65,016 | 6.5% | |
 Others |
29,024 | 2.9% |
100% precincts reporting
| Candidate | Votes | Pct. | Del. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Romney |
216,805 | 47.3% | 29 |
| Santorum |
122,088 | 26.6% | |
| Gingrich |
74,110 | 16.2% | |
| Paul |
38,753 | 8.4% | |
| Others |
6,875 | 1.5% |
The Huffington Post | By Sam Stein Posted: 02/24/12 10:21 AM ET | Updated: 02/24/12 03:02 PM ET