Watch CBS News

Mitt Romney Visits Philadelphia, Suburbs

By Jim Melwert

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is in the Philadelphia area for a pair of events today.

Governor Romney's day started early at the Union League, at Broad and Sansom Streets, courting big-money donors.  Then he was headed to a midday rally at Valley Forge Military Academy.

His campaign says the governor hopes to raise upwards of $4 million with his visit.

The event at the Union League started at 8 a.m., with tickets for the main fundraising event ranging from $2,500  to  $10,000.  That was followed by a roundtable, limited to 50 tickets at $25,000 each.

The event at Valley Forge Military Academy was set to begin around noon, with doors opening at 9:30am.  That event is free, though you did need to reserve a ticket at MittRomney.com.

The Romney campaign has not spent much time, energy, or money on Pennsylvania, many writing off the state as a lost cause for the GOP.

Attending the breakfast, Romney supporter Allen Hilibrand disagrees:

"It may very well be that Obama has a big lead in Pennsylvania, but it's not very clear, I think.  And I think there's a lot of game left. A lot left to play."

Hilibrand says there's still a lot of time for the Romney campaign to turn things around in Pennsylvania.

"I think they should emphasize things like the questionable rhetoric I think Obama has had on Israel. I think there are enough Jewish voters to sway, especially in the suburbs.  And I think that there's more to the state than Philadelphia."

So, it will be interesting to see if this is the start of a push by Romney's campaign to compete for Pennsylvania's 20 electoral votes, or if it's more about the fundraising.

 

 

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.