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Mar 27, 2008 10:04 am US/Mountain
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McCain Comes To Colorado To Raise Money
Romney Will Join McCain On Campaign Trail
DENVER (CBS4) ―
Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain is scheduled to visit Denver Thursday evening for a fundraiser. GOP state party Chair Dick Wadhams thinks the Republican faithful in Colorado will rally around McCain in the general election come November.
"The Colorado Republican party, elected officials, candidates for office are all very enthusiastic in supporting Senator McCain," Wadhams said.
Sixty percent of Colorado Republicans who voted in the state party caucus 2 months ago endorsed Mitt Romney for the GOP nomination.
Wadhams thinks Colorado will be a battle ground state in the general election.
"That's why Democrats brought their convention here this summer," he said. "They think they can carry it. I don't think they can. I think Senator McCain will carry Colorado."
McCain does need to raise more money because he trails both Democratic candidates in cash on hand.
The New York Times reports Sen. Barack Obama's finances total more than $197 million. Sen. Hillary Clinton finances total nearly $174 million. McCain's campaign finances are about $66.5 million.
"He came out of the primaries essentially with very little money in the bank," Wadhams said.
Wadhams feels that McCain should focus on endorsements and raise money while Obama and Clinton attack each other.
"Everyday that goes by, and the more things that they say about each other, makes that ticket that much weaker for the November election," he said. "And so I'm delighted to watch it from afar."
McCain's campaign does hope to raise a large sum of money in Denver Thursday. Attendance costs $1,000 per person. To have a picture with McCain costs $2,300. And sitting on a roundtable discussion with the senator will cost $25,000.
McCain is scheduled to have a fundraising luncheon in Salt Lake City earlier Thursday. On Friday, he'll be in Las Vegas for another fundraiser.
Former Republican rival Mitt Romney will be joining McCain on the campaign trail Thursday. The pairing seemed improbable two months ago as the pair fought bitterly for the party's presidential nomination.
In their first campaign swing as allies, Romney planned to meet McCain at the airport in Salt Lake City and appear with the likely Republican nominee at a fundraiser. The two then were traveling to Denver for a second fundraiser.
McCain, who has struggled to raise campaign money, is on a weeklong western fundraising swing. Romney is popular in Utah and Colorado, states with large numbers of residents who are members of Romney's Mormon faith.
The 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. A week later, he endorsed the Arizona senator and pledged to do whatever he could to help McCain 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 the No. 2 spot on the ticket, though some Republicans privately speculate that he's looking ahead to 2012 and a possible repeat run.
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 plaguing a broken system. McCain, in turn, argued that Romney's equivocations and reversals on several issues indicated a willingness to change his positions to fit his political goals.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)