The Hill News

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) said he expects to maintain a low profile for his campaign through Labor Day.

Romney, who last week formally launched his second attempt for the Republican presidential nomination, said he expects to keep a lower profile than he had during the 2008 campaign, when he aggressively campaigned in early primary states and was a constant in the media.

"Right now, your greatest enemy is overexposure. People get tired of seeing the same person day in and day out. People are going to start focusing on the elections probably after Labor Day," Romney said in an appearance on CNN taped for Monday evening.

"And until Labor Day hits, I'm going to be pretty quiet," he added.

A less rushed and intense start to his presidential campaign has always been part of Romney's gameplan. He enjoys a status as a nominal frontrunner for the GOP nod, and has focused on building infrastructure and a campaign war ! chest. 

Still, the summer includes several scheduled events that could be key stepping stones to winning the nomination. Among them are a debate next week in New Hampshire, in which it's not clear Romney will participate. And there's a debate in Iowa shortly before the state's influential straw poll in August. Romney's slated to spend most of June touring the country and raising money.

In the meanwhile, he's maintained his profile by picking and choosing his media appearances, something he said he'll keep doing through Labor Day. Romney's campaign released a video on Monday with a sunny and optimistic montage of his announcement last Thursday in New Hampshire. (Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, another competitor for the nomination, has also released a series of videos, many of them resembling action movies.)