Back in October, The Atlantic Wire scoured the Internet in vain searching for an authentic, enthusiastic fan of Mitt Romney. Romney had been officially in the presidential race for months, and had been the presumed frontrunner for most of that time, and yet we couldn't find what we considered evidence of genuine enthusiasm about the candidate: a photo of a civilian wearing a Romney shirt and looking happy. On Wednesday, The Washington Post's David A. Fahrenthold reported he has found real live "Romniacs." Sure, the "Mitt Romney Super Fan" T-shirt has only sold 346 times since it was listed on the candidate's website in February. But 346 is more than zero.

As The Atlantic Wire found, Fahrenthold reports that pro-Romney sites often languish for weeks without comment from Romney fans. And one of the most obvious places for a Romney T-shirt-wearers to turn up would be Romney's own Facebook page. (The baby pictured above doesn't count.) But diehards are out there, Fahrenthold writes. Take Joe McCutchen, 72-year-old from north Georgia:

“Do you wear stickers? ‘No.’ Do you answer the phone ‘Romney for president’? ‘No,’ ” McCutchen said. He does both, wearing a sticker on his lapel every day. So he always wins. “I’ve been told I’m his number-one supporter in the country.”

And the Post story destroys one more Romney trope. For months, political reporters have described the Republican primary in terms of romance -- voters would "date" candidates like Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich, who swept them off their feet, but eventually settle and "marry" Romney. But the Post found that Romney makes at least one lady's heart flutter. Dixie Cannon, of Tampa, said on a pro-Romney Internet radio station last week, "I use the term ‘love’ as something that comes from my heart... I fell in love with Mitt Romney." 

Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments or send an email to the author at ereeve at theatlantic dot com. You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire.
Elspeth Reeve