The plot thickens: NRO on the anti-Romney, anti-Mormon poll; Update: Target Point denies involvement

An interesting coincidence: the phone number that came up on people’s caller ID during the polling by Western Wats has also come up in the past when used by Target Point Consulting, a firm that’s received $720,000 in fees from … the Romney campaign.

But:

Are these connections damning or do they suggest nothing more than a coincidence? Kevin Madden told NRO Sunday: “[Nearly] every Republican research firm uses Western Wats. They are one of the biggest phone research vendors in the country.” As the pro-Romney site mymanmitt.com puts it: Western Wats “conducts 7000 projects a year … At any given moment they are conducting HUNDREDS of projects.” In theory, they could be working for any number of competing clients at cross-purposes at any time…

[Romney campaign spokesman Kevin] Madden did not deny a connection between Target Point and Western Wats. “If you’re calling to tell me that Target Point has used Western Wats as a call firm — not for these [anti-Mormon] calls, but for other ones — I suspect that could be the case,” Madden said. “I think it would be erroneous to use a peripheral connection between vendors to insinuate any impropriety.”

Here’s Madden’s statement this morning unloading on NRO for making insinuations. Geraghty’s got an interesting follow-up too, noting a quote from a Western Wats employee who appears to know who the guilty party is and insists they’re “not political.” What could that possibly mean? Which interest group would want to know voters’ reactions to Mitt’s Mormonism for non-political reasons?

Update: An angry Target Point unloads on NRO.

Blowback