Romney tries to sidestep tax furor he ignited

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (AP) — Mitt Rom­ney tried doggedly Wednes­day to side­step the polit­i­cal furor he had started a day ear­lier by reveal­ing he pays fed­eral taxes at a rate of about 15 per­cent, less than mil­lions of middle-income Amer­i­can families.