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Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Couple Talks About Romney\'s Aid to Their Son in New Crossroads Ad

One of the more compelling stories from Mitt Romney's time as a senior member of the Mormon Church is the subject of a new television commercial produced by a super PAC that has, until now, supported the Republican nominee mostly through attack ads.

The commercial, which was produced by Crossroads GPS, the group run with the help of Karl Rove and other top Republican strategists, features Ted and Pat Oparowski, a couple who lost their young son to cancer 30 years ago.

They first told their story to a national audience at the Republican National Convention in August. But now they will start sharing it with voters in swing states, in hopes of pushing Mitt Romney over the edge.

Mr. Romney helped the young man, David, prepare to die as his non-Hodgkins lymphoma worsened. Mr. Romney visited David in the hospital and helped him draft a will so he could give his possessions, like a skateboard and model rockets, away to his friends.

“He chose what he wanted to wear,” Ms. Oparowski says as her voice trembles. “He wanted to wear his Boy Scout uniform. And he chose to have Mitt give the eulogy at his funeral.”

Then, offering the kind of humanizing praise of Mr. Romney that his campaign has often been short on, Ms. Oparowski adds, “He cares about people and about their needs. I think he's going to be able to get us back on track, I really do.”

The ad ends with a gentle push: “Please Vote. Mitt Romney for President.”

The ad is notable not just for its content but also for where it is airing. It had its debut in Wisconsin on Tuesday morning, a state that is suddenly flush with Republican ad dollars now that the Romney campaign and its allies see a path to victory there.

Follow Jeremy W. Peters on Twitter at @ jwpetersNYT .