A memo released by Mitt Romney's political director Tuesday suggested the Republican frontrunner's campaign is anticipating a potential loss in one of Tuesday's GOP caucuses.
"Of course, there is no way for any nominee to win first place in every single contest," Romney's political director Rich Beeson wrote in the memo. "John McCain lost 19 states in 2008, and we expect our opponents to notch a few wins too."
The Romney campaign signaled Monday it sees Rick Santorum as a threat in Tuesday's caucuses in Minnesota and Colorado. A non-binding primary is also scheduled to take place in Missouri.
In e-mails to reporters and on press conference calls, Romney's staff and surrogates repeatedly criticized the former Pennsylvania senator's spending record in Congress.
The memo, titled "The Road Ahead - A Reality Check," notes no delegates will be awarded immediately following Tuesday's caucuses and goes on to explain the Romney campaign's rationale for its confidence in the contests to come.
"Unlike the other candidates, our campaign has the resources and organization to keep winning over the long run," Beeson wrote.
The memo takes a few jabs at Romney's rivals. It refers to Newt Gingrich's strategy to hold out for a strong showing in the South in March as "a flight of fancy and not grounded in reality."
Noting that many of those Southern contests offer only a proportional allocation of delegates, the memo stated, "the bottom line is that it will be difficult for Speaker Gingrich to take large delegate prizes from any of these states."
The memo added that Romney's organizational strength makes him better positioned to take upcoming contests out West and in the U.S. territories of Guam, Northern Marianas, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa and Puerto Rico.
"Even 'success' in a few states will not mean collecting enough delegates to win the nomination," Beeson wrote. "This is exactly the sort of methodical, long-haul campaign we planned for, and we are well on the way to victory."
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