On Monday, Romney told the Denver Post that if elected, he would not rescind the two-year deportation relief applications and work permits granted under a new Obama administration program. And he would marshal immigration reform though Congress during his first year in office.

The statement amounts to Romney’s most direct commitment on immigration to date. Young undocumented activists in Colorado said they were heartened by the news. Conservative advocates of strict, even punitive immigration enforcement went silent. The Obama campaign released a series of statements describing Romney’s comments as a last-ditch, nakedly strategic and potentially insincere attempt to appeal to Latino voters without specifying what type of immigration reform he would advance. And by Tuesday night, the Romney campaign team was working hard to spilt the difference. If elected, the campaign told the Boston Globe, Romney would end the Obama program but honor the reprieves and work permits Romney described earlier as “already purchased.” And he would push hard for unspecified legislative reform.

Thirty-four days before the election, both candidates are trying to find the political beat and combination of moves that will make as many voters as possible want to dance. A new CNN poll released late Tuesday points to just how hard — and essential — that work may be for Romney. The Romney campaign did not respond to requests for comment late Tuesday, but the CNN poll offers one of the most plausible, publicly available explanations for Romney’s decision to draw attention this week to his immigration policy.

Read more at the Huffington Post