President Obama has been revving up his attacks on Mitt Romney and his time at Bain Capital. But Republican governors Rick Scott of Florida and Terry Branstad of Iowa are claiming his strategy won't work in their states.
On Fox News Sunday, Branstad called Obama's jabs "pathetic" and sharply criticized him for "attacking Romney, attacking the entrepreneurs and the businesses that we need to have the guts to invest and create jobs and grow the economy."
Romney has come under intense scrutiny this week after the Boston Globe reported on SEC filings, indicating that Romney had remained in charge of private equity firm Bain Capital several years longer than he's claimed in the past. Team Obama also launched an ad this week saying Bain outsourced American jobs to China and Mexico. It also questions Romney's financial holdings in Bermuda, the Cayman Islands and Bermuda.
Scott insisted his voters won't care about the Bain criticism when they go to the polls in November. They care about "who's going to help me get my job back. Who's going to help me keep my job. They're not going to worry about some attack on Bain."
Still, recent polls show Obama doing well in the two battleground states.
According to a new Tampa Bay Times poll, Obama has the support of 46% of Florida voters compared to 45% backing the former Massachusetts governor.
A Real Clear Politics average of polls shows Obama leading in Iowa 46.5% compared to 44% for Romney.