Mitt Romney regained the lead in the Republican presidential nomination race with a big win in Florida, but drew criticism on Wednesday in what should have been his victory lap with remarks suggesting he was indifferent to America's poor.
Romney rolled to an impressive triumph in Florida, capturing 46 percent of the vote to Newt Gingrich's 32 percent after pounding his nearest rival with negative advertisements.
The victory restored him to front-runner status in the state-by-state battle for the Republican nomination to run against Democratic President Barack Obama in the November 6 general election.
But the wealthy ex-governor and former private equity executive, who lost the South Carolina primary on January 21 after opponents painted him as a heartless capitalist, gave a reminder of the challenges he will face winning over voters struggling with the economic downturn and high unemployment.
In an interview on CNN, Romney said he was not concerned about the poorest Americans, but that his primary focus was on the middle class.
"I'm not concerned about the very poor, we have a safety net there," he said, adding, "If it needs repair, I'll fix it."
Romney also said he would leave concern for the poor to the Democratic party.
"We will hear from the Democrat party the plight of the poor," Romney said. "And there's no question it's not good being poor and we have a safety net to help those that are very poor. But my campaign is focused on middle Americans.
"You can choose where to focus, you can focus on the rich, that's not my focus. You can focus on the very poor, that's not my focus. My focus is on middle income Americans, retirees living on Social Security, people who can't find work."
Opponents seized on his remarks. Democratic National Committee spokesman Brad Woodhouse emailed them to journalists, with the introduction, "I'm glad he cleared that up." US voters have said the sputtering economy is their main concern for the 2012 elections.
Romney has touted his business experience while harshly criticising Obama and his Republican opponents for their lack of private sector experience.
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