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Bennett Brings in the Big Gun: Mitt Romney - Salt Lake Tribune
Politics » Former presidential candidate helps senator raise $225,000 for re-election fight.
By Robert Gehrke, The Salt Lake Tribune
April 8, 2009
Facing the prospect of a Republican challenge in his Senate re-election campaign, Sen. Bob Bennett flexed some muscle Tuesday, appearing alongside Mitt Romney, a political superstar in Utah, who said the state is "lucky to have a person of such substance."
Romney, who dominated the state in his bid for the White House, helped Bennett raise some $225,000 for his re-election fight.
He also heaped praise on the senator, saying "his leadership in Washington is very important to the success of conservatism," while sidestepping questions about whether he would mount another presidential bid.
"I'm keeping the door open, but I'm just not walking through it," Romney told reporters afterward.
Bennett said he has seen "a coalescing among my fellow senators very early about who they think the leader of the Republican Party should be," and they are getting behind Romney.
"You have been with a true national leader who has been recognized now in that regard and it is an honor and pleasure to have him in the state of Utah," Bennett told a gathering of about 500 who came to hear the two discuss the future of the Republican Party.
Romney said he hasn't considered whether Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., who has garnered some national attention as a potential presidential candidate, would affect his own plans.
"Everyone should make their own decisions," said Romney, who won't make a decision on his future until after the 2010 election. "We've got a deep bench," he said, adding that the party will rally behind a leader. "Hopefully that person will be successful in defeating President Obama."
Romney appeared at a $1,000-per person lunch fundraiser for Bennett, and a private roundtable discussion for those who contributed $2,400.
Romney could prove to be a powerful ally for Bennett in Utah. His presidential bid supercharged Utah Republicans and he trounced the competition, receiving 90 percent of the GOP primary vote, and raised $5.5 million from Utah donors, according to The Center for Responsive Politics.
Brigham Young University political science professor Quin Monson said that Romney's fundraising heft, while considerable, probably isn't what Bennett was looking for.
"I don't think Senator Bennett needed the fundraising help as much as he wants to signal that he's got lots of support and taking him on would be difficult," said Monson. That might ultimately discourage others from running against him….