Romney girds for next battle in White House race

By Jason Szep

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla (Reuters) - Wounded by a loss in Florida, Republican Mitt Romney put on a brave face on his White House bid -- a fight that his aides expect to hinge on voters in America's conservative heartland.

The multimillionaire former Massachusetts governor looked past his 5-point loss on Tuesday to Sen. John McCain toward Alabama and other conservative Republican states voting on February 5 in the "Super Tuesday" blitz of primaries coast-to-coast.

"I think it's time for the politicians to leave Washington and for the citizens to take over," Romney told supporters, echoing a theme of his campaign. "We'll strengthen our families and we'll strengthen our military."

His wife, Ann, offered a glimpse into his strategy.

"We feel as though the conservatives are starting to rally around Mitt," she told the crowd. "This is just a send-off point. This is not an end. This is another beginning. We have 22 more states to do that and we will be able to do that."

A former venture capitalist backed by a $250 million fortune, Romney has the resources to go the distance in a race where millions of dollars will be burned in coast-to-coast advertising, his supporters say.

They cast him as a conservative alternative to McCain in the mold of former President Ronald Reagan who can unite the Republican Party base, which has had a turbulent relationship with McCain over issues such as campaign finance reform.

"It's not a done deal for McCain," said Manuel Rose, a prominent Florida fund-raiser for Romney.