Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
Richard Piatt reportingSen. John McCain is counting on the Utah Republicans who once supported Mitt Romney for president. The presumptive GOP nominee was in Salt Lake City this morning for a fundraiser.
It was a whirlwind trip that called for Republican unity. Sen. John McCain stood side-by-side with Gov. Mitt Romney in Utah today. A few reporters had a chance to speak to both of them.
Sen. McCain was here to raise money; and at a packed reception and luncheon, he did just that. Now he wants more Utah Republicans to join his campaign.
When it was pointed out that Utahns overwhelmingly supported Romney during our primary election, Sen. McCain replied, "Yes, I haven't met the 10 percent who voted for me, yet."
Building support is crucial for McCain now. He knows that in Utah, and across the country, millions of people supported Mitt Romney. Now the two say they're unified.
McCain said, "We joined together. And I think that matters here in the state of Utah, and frankly I think it matters all over the country with our Republican Party voters."
"When it comes time to get around to support our nominee, we do it. And we're going to do it now in a way we never did before because of the critical nature of the challenges America faces right now," Romney said.
With Governors Romney and Huntsman alongside, Sen. McCain held a $2,300 per person VIP reception and a $1,000 a plate luncheon at the Grand America Hotel.
At the end of his visit, McCain and Romney appeared together at a public rally. All know that, even with uncertainty about the Democrat candidates, there is work to do in his own party. "We as Republicans really have to be energized if we're going to win this election. That's our challenge now," McCain said.
On immigration, the economy, and the war in Iraq, McCain repeated his commitment to make each a priority. But he dodged the question about Romney as a running mate. And what about a place in a McCain administration for Gov. Huntsman? Gov. Huntsman told us, "You know, Rich, I'm the dangling preposition right here. I'm running for reelection right here. Nice try though."
Gov. Romney says he will campaign for Sen. McCain "as needed." They appeared together again today in Colorado for another fundraiser. McCain said he was proud to have Romney's friendship. Both talked about the importance of re-energizing the party for a tough election in November.
McCain will no doubt return to Utah in the coming months for more fundraisers.
E-mail: rpiatt@ksl.com
