Inside Politics: Romney calls family at center of T-shirt flap

PENNSYLVANIA

PHILADELPHIA — Mitt Romney called the family of a 16-year-old Philadelphia girl who has said that she was mocked by her geometry teacher for wearing a Romney T-shirt in class.

Romney campaign spokesman Rick Gorka said Thursday that the Republican presidential candidate called Samantha Pawlucy’s home on Wednesday.

Mr. Gorka said that while Samantha wasn’t home, her mother was and that Mr. Romney told her that he appreciated her daughter’s courage.

The telephone call was first reported by the Pennsylvania website KeystoneReport.com.

The girl briefly returned to Charles Carroll High School on Tuesday. But her father said she never actually made it to class because she felt uncomfortable. He said Samantha and two other high-school age children in his home will now be transferring to another school.

The teacher has apologized, but hasn’t returned to school as she awaits the results of a school district investigation.

SENATE

Hopefuls wage air war for women, Latinos

An old feud and the race for women voters is intensifying the tight Arizona Senate race with the former boss of Democrat Richard Carmona starring in a new ad that questions his temperament to serve in the Senate.

Democrats fired back with their own ad that accuses Republican Jeff Flake of voting against bulletproof vests for local police and federal funding for child abuse prevention.

The Republican spot features Dr. Cristina Beato, the former acting assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, describing how Mr. Carmona pounded on her door in the middle of the night while he served as surgeon general because of disagreements about his travel.

Looking into the camera, she says she feared for her children and for herself.

The Carmona campaign denied the allegations.

CAMPAIGN

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