"Obama's message is about change, and if he's been able to be so effective in delivering that message that he's now put Clinton on her heels and pushed current Sens. Joe Biden and Chris Dodd out of the race, then we better think about somebody who can stand up with a message and go toe-to-toe with him," Romney said.

A year ago today, Romney gathered 400 supporters to raise $6.5 million to lay the groundwork for his campaign bid. A month later he formally kicked off his race at the Henry Ford Museum in Michigan.

"Those of you who have listened for some time, I was very taken with this idea of speaking about the inflection points in American history. That's been a big part of my stump speech," Romney said. "... But I've found there's more positive reaction to saying, 'Washington is broken."'

And now Romney finds himself counting on that positive feedback he's been receiving being turned into votes for his candidacy in New Hampshire and beyond.

"I can't predict a victory but I can predict that I'd like a victory," Romney said as he pointed out the eight delegates he won in Wyoming in last Saturday's county conventions.

Some pundits and pollsters are still saying the election is close and Romney's performance during the weekend's debates could work in his favor.

"Mitt Romney did exceptionally well, especially Sunday night, where he stood 'head and shoulders' above the others," said Charles W. Dunn, dean of Regent University's School of Government. "He will get a boost in the polls from his debate performance, but was his performance too little and too late to overcome John McCain's lead in the polls? Sunday night he spoke and acted in an approachable manner, which enabled him to score substantive points. He has a problem of being so exceedingly bright and well-spoken that sometimes he appears condescending to others."

Republican consultant David E. Johnson, CEO of Strategic Vision, said right now that "change" is just the big buzz word and he still thinks McCain will carry New Hampshire. He beat President Bush in the state in 2000 and continues polling a few percentage points ahead of Romney.

But even if Romney does come in second place, Romney senior campaign adviser Ron Kaufman said his standing after New Hampshire, Iowa and Wyoming would still likely give him more votes than any other GOP candidate.

"This has been an interesting year, and people have been written off different times," said Kaufman, who was a key staffer for then-Vice President George H.W. Bush's New Hampshire campaign in 1988.

"The one thing I know about conventional wisdom this year is that it's been wrong," Kaufman said.

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E-mail: suzanne@desnews.com