Mitt Romney fares well in poll, nets key California support

Mitt Romney is receiving several California endorsements Thursday while riding high in the newest polling from Bloomberg.

Romney is in the Golden State today to receive the endorsement of several California politicos including Rep. Buck McKeon, chairman of the powerful House Armed Services Committee Chairman; Rep. Mary Bono Mack; and state Senate GOP Leader Bob Dutton.

Polling released Wednesday by Bloomberg shows Romney is viewed favorably by 59 percent of Republicans and unfavorably by only 16 percent. Seventy-one percent of voters say Romney's LDS religion doesn't matter.

J. Ann Selzer, president of the Iowa-based Selzer & Co. that conducted the June 17-20 polling for Bloomberg, gives some context to the polling results. "Romney is threading the needle the way a seasoned candidate knows he must. He's saying enough of the things Republicans want to hear while holding the interest of independents."

Blogging Thursday for the L.A. Times, Andrew Malcolm explores Romney's "quiet and steady creep" ahead of his competitors in the Republican presidential field.

"Right now, Republican voters seem to have decided a) they're more interested in winning than refining social issue purity, b) the economy is the top topic (also No. 2 and 3, actually) and c) they seem to be lining up for now behind Mitt Romney as their guy."

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