Mitt aide: Tax details coming soon

A top aide to Mitt Romney’s GOP presidential campaign said Wednesday the former Massachusetts governor would offer details on how to pay for his tax cuts at some point before the election.

“You pay for the tax cuts in a way Governor Romney is going to articulate in the next five weeks,” Romney campaign chief counsel Ben Ginsberg said at the POLITICO Live 2012 debate preview event in Denver, Colo., ahead of the presidential debate. “I don’t want to steal the thunder on that. … You will get to hear that from his mouth in the coming days.”


Democrats have criticized Romney for not providing more details on his tax plans, and outside groups have suggested the only way Romney could afford his stated goals is by eliminating tax deductions benefiting the middle class. Romney has promised a 20 percent across-the-board tax cut, but hasn’t said what loopholes he would eliminate to make the cut revenue-neutral.

The event at the Denver Post building was hosted by POLITICO’s Jonathan Martin and was livestreamed on POLITICO’s website.

Obama campaign adviser Robert Gibbs told Martin he would be focusing on Ohio and Virginia as tipping point states for the president on election night.

“Places like Ohio and Virginia have seen more attention than almost anywhere else,” Gibbs said. “And I think those will be the two to look to.”

A NBC/Wall Street Journal poll released Wednesday showed Obama leading among likely voters in Ohio, 51 percent to 43 percent. In Virginia, the president has a slim 48 percent to 46 percent lead.

Denver Mayor Michael Hancock and Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) also spoke at the event.