Once Bitter Rivals, Romney and McCain Unite on Fundraising Trail
SALT LAKE CITY — In a show of Republican unity, one-time bitter foes John McCain and Mitt Romney raised money and campaigned together Thursday for a single goal — getting McCain elected president.
“We are united. Now our job is to energize our party,” the Arizona senator said in an airport hangar, flanked by Romney and Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., an early McCain supporter. Both have been mentioned as potential vice presidential picks, and McCain praised each.
Romney lauded McCain and promised to do all he can to help, saying: “He is a man who is proven and tested” and without question the right man to be president.
In February, Romney won 90 percent of the vote in Utah to McCain’s 5 percent. Romney’s ties to the state run deep, from his Mormon faith to his work overseeing the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City.
“Look, that wasn’t the only state I lost to Governor Romney in — it was just the largest loss,’ McCain said chuckling. He joked that it was abject humiliation but understandable given Romney’s Utah links. “I was at least hoping to break into double digits though!”
“I think he did just fine in New Hampshire, South Carolina, Florida, California …,” Romney said, laughing about states McCain won.
The two then headed to Denver for another fundraiser accompanied by Meg Whitman, the outgoing chief executive of eBay Inc. and a former Romney backer who now supports McCain.
On the flight, there seemed to be little residual acrimony between the former rivals.
They sat next to each other and ate turkey sandwiches. They laughed and talked during the hourlong flight, and were complimentary of each other when talking to reporters traveling with McCain.
A tanned and rested Romney said it was fun to be campaigning again and nice not to feel any pressure. “I don’t have to worry about goofing up,” he said. He brushed aside questions about a No. 2 spot on the GOP ticket.
At one point, McCain answered a question by lamenting an accelerated GOP primary process that he said doesn’t allow voters to scrutinize the candidates as much.
“Mitt just went through the process,” McCain said and turned to the former governor.
“The process was very good to you …,” Romney responded. McCain laughed, and Romney added that the process was good to him, too.
McCain, who has struggled to raise money compared to Democratic rivals Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton, is on a weeklong Western fundraising swing. Romney is popular in Utah and Colorado, states with large numbers of Mormons.
Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, dropped out of the race last month after it became apparent it would be near impossible to topple McCain in the convention delegate race. He endorsed the Arizona senator a week later and pledged to help him win the nomination.
Since then, McCain has praised Romney repeatedly as someone who is certain to continue playing a large role in the GOP. Romney, for his part, has suggested that he’d accept a vice presidential slot, though some Republicans privately speculate that he’s looking ahead to a possible repeat run in 2012.
Neither man appeared especially fond of the other during the campaign. Romney cast McCain as outside of the GOP’s conservative mainstream and a Washington insider who contributed to the problems there. McCain, in turn, argued that Romney’s equivocations and reversals on issues indicated a willingness to change his positions to fit his political goals.
I REALLY HOPE that McCain gets Romney to be #2 (VP)
This way Romney Knows numbers and McCain knows foreign policies.
It would be a GREAT Matchup!!!!!!!!
Hard to beat!!!
This is good news. I would be happy to see Romney as McCain’s running mate.
If Romney is choisen as McCain’s vice president tne I will be happy to help with the funding of the campaign.
Mitt is “AMERICA’S MAN!” I’m not sure if I want him to run as VP or stay “PURE” for 2012? Whatever Mitt decides, I’m sure is the way it should be! He is now and always will be “my choice for my country.”
Mitt Romney stands for the policies of the Bush administration that have widened the gap between the rich and the poor, and everyone knows it. If he is selected as the running mate for John McCain, the Democrats will win the Presidency in a landslide, and the social conservative wing of the Republican party will help them do it. When Romney spent more than $100 million to lose the Republican nomination, the conservatives spoke loud and clear. Let’s hope McCain was listening.
If there would be a McCain/Romney ticket, I would be out campaigning, this would be a great ticket and a winning one. Just McCain is bland, I could tolerate Clinton but Obama no way.
L
I am Republican. McCain is not my first choice but now we (Republicans) need to get our act together and support McCain. There are some conservatives who said that they may not vote and stay home. This is exactly what the Democrats want. Any conservative, who decides to stay home on election day, is either ignorant of the facts or not thinking correctly. ANYONE THAT STAY HOME IS, BY DEFAULT, VOTING FOR THE DEMOCRATS. If any concervative is happy staying home, then don’t complain when the democrats put in liberal supreme court judges, raise taxes and certainly don’t complain about abortion. McCain is not a conservative and not perfect but he is 10 times better than Hillary and 20 times better than Obama.
Winston.
way to go john mitt is a great man hope he can be your vp best of luck
Finally, a winnig combination. Let’s hope John Mc Cain selects Mitt Romney as his running mate. He’ll have my vote,
While it is commendable that John McCain and Mitt Romney are working together for the benefit of the GOP, there is a large segment of Americans who voted for Mike Huckabee for his conservative values and his representation as a man who knows middle income an lower income America. Mitt Romney, on the other hand, represents extreme wealth and cannot possibly understand our segment of America. His voice his hollow and phony when he speaks to us. Our populace is crying for a voice and that voice is Mike Huckabee!