Why Mitt Romney Avoids Massachusetts

Romney served a term as governor there but it remains a Democratic strong hold even as Scott Brown leads in the polls to hold his Senate seat

Mitt Romney was governor of Massachusetts just six years ago. Today he's so unpopular here he's barely bothering to campaign in the state. There are reasons for that—and they could spell doom for his presidential campaign.

Of course, none of that should take anyone by surprise. As governor, Romney showed Massachusetts that—pragmatic to the core—he was willing to say whatever was needed to advance his political career. Facing an emboldened Democratic majority in the legislature after his 2004 election debacle, Romney began to turn his attention away from Beacon Hill and toward Washington, DC. In the process, the former self-described "progressive" shifted his views on gay rights, abortion, and stem cell research to appeal to a more conservative audience.