By Maeve Reston, Los Angeles Times –
While all eyes will be on the second presidential debate in Long Island, N.Y., this week, Mitt Romney will have one very important group cheering him on from Manhattan: His top donors, many of whom have been with him since his 2008 race, will gather for one last retreat as the contest heads into its final sprint.
The fall retreat, similar to an event in Park City, Utah, earlier this year, begins Monday with a gala reception and dinner at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in Manhattan, which is co-hosted by the Republican National Committee for the GOP’s top donors.
Among Monday night’s featured speakers: former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, vice presidential nominee Rep. Paul D. Ryan and Donald Trump. Although Romney will be campaigning Monday and preparing for the debate, the former Massachusetts governor is expected to make at least a brief appearance.
On Tuesday, as Romney heads to Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y., for his matchup with President Barack Obama, donors are invited to attend three panels at the Waldorf Astoria hotel. The first: a strategy briefing on the final three weeks before the election with, among others, the campaign’s political director, Rich Beeson, senior adviser Beth Myers and campaign pollster Neil Newhouse.
At a second panel on jobs, donors will hear from Continental Resources Chairman Harold Hamm, a major donor and key member of Romney’s energy task force, Sun Microsystems co-founder Scott McNealy, financier Charles Schwab and Jimmy John Liautaud, chief executive of a sandwich chain (who began his business in a garage, as Romney likes to tell voters during his stump speech).
After a panel titled “Make the Difference” — presumably focused on how donors will be asked to help in the final three weeks — led by campaign finance director Spencer Zwick, guests will hear from Romney’s wife, Ann, and son Tagg at an afternoon lunch.
Tuesday night’s debate watch party at the Roseland Ballroom will include a guest appearance by comedian Dennis Miller, according to an agenda obtained by the Los Angeles Times.
While Obama is on track to become the first candidate to raise $1 billion, Romney has proved to be a strong fundraiser himself.
By Aug. 31 of this year, Obama had raised a total of $766 million through his reelection campaign, the Democratic National Committee and two joint fundraising committees, according to a study by the nonpartisan Campaign Finance Institute.
At that point, Romney had raised a total of $669 million through his campaign, the Republican National Committee and a joint fundraising committee. The Republican nominee is on pace to raise about $900 million — about $100 million more than the goal set by his campaign.
The Obama campaign announced earlier this month that it pulled in $181 million in September. The Romney campaign has not yet revealed its finance figures from last month.
