Romney phones for his T-shirt warrior, but she wasn't home

IF YOU'RE wondering whether GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney is aware of the Philadelphia kerfuffle surrounding a teenage girl and a pink Romney/Ryan T-shirt, he is.

Romney on Wednesday night phoned the home of Samantha Pawlucy, the 16-year-old who wore the shirt and was reportedly ridiculed by geometry teacher Lynette Gaymon. Kate Meriwether, a spokeswoman for the Romney campaign, confirmed the call.

Problem was, Samantha was not at home to take the call, according to a source close to the family. The black-belt teen was at her tae kwon do class.

Instead, he spoke with Samantha's mother, Kristine.

"This is Governor Mitt Romney," the candidate told Kristine Pawlucy, according to her husband, Richard.

"She was really surprised" and gasped, Richard Pawlucy said, adding that the conversation lasted about five minutes.

"He just wanted to talk to Sam and say, 'Keep up the good work,' " he said. "She said it was like talking to a next-door neighbor, a regular guy."

This was not the first time the Romney campaign had reached out to Samantha, who has been making international headlines since news broke of the T-shirt case at Charles Carroll High School.

The Romney camp sent along a care package of Romney T-shirts, buttons and other paraphernalia to radio host Dom Giordano, Meriwether said. Giordano gave her the items Tuesday at the school, he said. A group of veterans and other supporters had organized a rally in support of Samantha.

The Pawlucys pulled Samantha and her two sisters from the school Wednesday, saying that she no longer felt comfortable there. The family believes that the school district did not fulfill its promise to have Gaymon apologize to the girl in person.

Marc Collazzo, chief of staff for state Rep. John Taylor, said the family was putting together a list of schools they'd like the girls to attend. Their choices will be handed to the district, and the hope is that the girls will be back to school Monday, Collazzo said. Samantha was expected to be a guest Thursday night at a vice-presidential debate-watching party, organized by the Philadelphia Federation of Young Republicans.

Samantha, who recently landed a part-time job, is busy reading the driver's license manual in preparation for the test, her father said Wednesday. She's also reading the freedom documents given to her by some veterans, he said.

Meanwhile, a Wisconsin bus driver was reportedly fired on Wednesday for harrassing a 12-year-old whose family had a Romney sign in their lawn, allegedly saying, "Maybe your mom should have chosen abortion for you."