Some influential Northeastern Republicans are already encouraging the all-but-certain GOP nominee to invest some resources in a region of the country that has been anathema to Republican White House hopefuls in recent elections.

“I do feel ultimately we can put Connecticut in play for our seven electoral votes,” said state Republican Party Chairman Jerry Labriola, who noted that Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush carried the state. “You can put conventional wisdom aside with this kind of nominee. You can look at the map a little differently and see if we can make Obama compete up here, and it’s certainly something [Romney strategists] are listening to.”…

While Romney strategists declined to comment on their electoral tactics, advisers close to the campaign are privately skeptical that they can afford to mount anything more than a token effort in the Northeast — other than in the swing state of New Hampshire…

A more alluring state in the region for Romney to consider may be New Jersey, where he has enjoyed the emphatic backing of Republican Gov. Chris Christie since October.