Leaving one political office with his eyes on another, Governor Romney of Massachusetts took the first formal step yesterday into the race for the Republican presidential nomination on his last full day as governor.
Although he did not declare candidacy, Mr. Romney filed papers with the Federal Election Committee setting up a presidential exploratory committee, a step that allows him to raise and spend money in the initial pursuit of the party's 2008 nomination.
The one-term governor is positioning himself as a conservative alternative to Senator McCain, a Republican of Arizona, and Mayor Giuliani. Messrs. McCain and Giuliani formed exploratory committees late last year.
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