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.

Romney's personal fortune was between $190 million and $250 million in mid-2007, according to Federal Election Commission filings. He spent at least $17 million on his campaign as of September 30. He has since likely doubled that, experts say.

Those deep pockets, combined with fundraising, could be decisive in nationwide campaigning for the nomination at the Republican Party convention in September.

Romney prevailed in his native Michigan, thinly contested Wyoming and Nevada while finishing second in Iowa and New Hampshire.

Supporters largely discount the role of religion in a race where Romney would be the first Mormon president, noting that while some evangelical Christians consider Mormonism a cult, he still has the support of many others.

"I'm not electing a pastor in chief, I'm looking for someone who has some brains," said Michael Beechem, a voter in Pensacola, Florida.

(Editing by Doina Chiacu)