­­Measured in business, deliberative in politics, Mitt Romney has always taken the long view and his coronation at the Republican convention caps a five-year run for the White House.

Romney showed tenacity and discipline in the (Florida) debate and from that point on, I don’t think the nomination was really in doubt

The 65-year-old has been gearing up for this moment since he stepped down as governor of Massachusetts in January 2007.

Fourteen months later, he was the Republican also-ran as rival John McCain won the party’s nomination.

But the experience offered countless political lessons for Mr Romney’s 2012 campaign, in which he bested conservative rivals, survived early gaffes, faced a barrage of negative ads and overcame doubts of core Republicans.

Several doubts still linger about Mr Romney’s financial dealings, his trouble relating to everyday Americans, his lack of foreign policy experience and President Barack Obama’s critical advantage among women voters.

But Mr Romney is a wisened, more focused candidate this year, experts said.

“He may have the nature of a long-distance runner who sets his eyes on the goal that’s out there in the distance,” Mike Franc, vice president for government studies at the conservative Heritage Foundation said.

Running for President, however, is not a mar­athon but “a decathlon, with multiple skills needed for multiple challenges”, Mr Franc added.

Challenges piled up for Mr Romney, beginning with the first state contest of the year.

Mr Romney lost a January 3 nail-biter in Iowa to rival Rick Santorum, the arch-conservative former senator from Pennsylvania, then got thumped by former House speaker Newt Gingrich in South Carolina.

In the next contest, Florida, Mr Romney rallied, unleashing a barrage of attack ads on Gingrich. It was the moment that many perceived Romney to be in control of his primary destiny.

“Romney showed tenacity and discipline in the (Florida) debate and from that point on, I don’t think the nomination was really in doubt,” said Matt Dickinson, a political science professor at Middle-bury College.

It wasn’t all smooth sailing. Mr Romney lost three primaries in a row to Santorum, and many doubted whether Mr Romney could carry the party base.

He also appeared out of touch in a series of gaffes, including when he said he was “not concerned” about poor people, and that his wife drives “a couple of Cadillacs” – off-point remarks for a candidate who routinely highlights America’s 8.3 per cent jobless rate and says Mr Obama has failed the economy.

But Mr Romney outmanoeuvred his more conservative rivals, and by May he had clinched the nomination, which will be formally announced on Thursday at the Republican National Convention.

Professor Steffen Schmidt of Iowa State University said Mr Romney, aware of the need to win over independent voters, adopted the pragmatic political art of “strategic shifting”.

Portraying himself as a Christian conservative during the primaries, Mr Romney now talks little about social issues like abortion, which he recently stressed he does not oppose in cases of rape.

Instead, his mission is convincing voters he will translate the business acumen which made him a multimillionaire into a recovery plan for America.

“What’s surprising is that he has survived all of this... and will likely get a big turnout from Republicans who don’t like him very much,” Prof. Schmidt said, adding that many conservatives “think he’s a waffler who changes

his mind for expediency”. The President has meanwhile put Mr Romney on the defensive with ads attacking the challenger’s record at private-equity firm Bain Capital, his refusal to divulge more than two years of tax returns, his mysterious overseas accounts, and his plan to give tax breaks to millionaires.

Key facts about the TamPA convention

Themes and speakers

The meeting will be held in Tampa’s cavernous Tampa Bay Times Forum, in the heart of the city. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie will deliver the primetime keynote speech – a role that often catapults a politician to higher office.

Others scheduled to address the gathering include Senator Marco Rubio of Florida; Ann Romney, the would-be next first lady; former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice and the party’s 2008 presidential nominee John McCain.

Although they are among the party’s most prominent figures, Sarah Palin, George W. Bush and Dick Cheney have said they will not attend the convention.

Protests and security

As with past conventions, thousands of protesters are likely to stage demonstrations in cordoned off areas outside the convention centre. This year, a large contingent is expected from the Occupy movement that has held protests across the US.

The US Congress has set aside €79.8 million to provide security for both the Republican andDemocratic conventions.

The city of Tampa said it plans to deploy about 4,000 police for the event – 1,000 of its own officers and 3,000 reinforcements from elsewhere in the state.

Numbers and costs

The convention will draw around 4,400 delegates from all 50 American states, the capital Washington and five territories, including 2,286 delegates and 2,125 alter-nates delegates.

The meeting is being held at a cost of some $123 million, according to media estimates, mostly raised from corporate donors who this year include Hewlett-Packard and Coca-Cola.

The US Federal Election Commission gives both the Republican and Democratic conventions €14.5 million to help defray the cost of salaries, construction, entertainment and activities, but the host committees must raise funds for the bulk of the expenses.

This year marks the third time the Republican Party convenes its convention in Florida. The state also played host to the 1968 and 1972 Republican National Conventions that nominated Richard Nixon. Both of those conventions were held in Miami.

Entertainment

The event will also showcase Tampa and nearby beach resorts, with dozens of private parties and gatherings.

Among the acts scheduled to take the stage are country music group The Oak Ridge Boys, who were to perform the national anthem to kick off the conven-tion yesterday.

Hip-hop artist Wyclef Jean – himself a former presidential candidate in his native Haiti – is also set to perform at a fundraiser to be held on the sidelines of the event.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.