The Romney campaign is not competing in Romney’s home state of Massachusetts.
If Romney were lose Massachusetts and still defeat Obama, he would be the first presidential candidate elected without carrying his home state since 1916, when Democratic President Woodrow Wilson retained the White House despite New Jersey’s absence from the win column.
Of course, Romney has been more-or-less living in New Hampshire for the last eight years, and I’m sure the Romney people would be inclined to declare New Hampshire his home state. But that doesn’t look so hot, either. At the moment, Barack Obama is polling at 51% in New Hampshire, with Romney at 38%. Where are the rest of those votes going? “Gary Johnson, the Libertarian nominee and former New Mexico Governor, captures 7% of the vote.”
I’ve argued this before, but it bears repeating: A strong Gary Johnson libertarian presidential campaign would serve two very important purposes: In the short term, it would strip Mitt Romney of votes in some essential swing states, and in the long term it could produce a smarter, more reasonable Republican party.