Romney seeking votes, donations at UNLV rally
GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney will meet with financial donors Friday at Red Rock Resort ahead of a public afternoon rally on the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, campus, according to invitations sent out.
Guests were asked to donate $2,500 each to attend, or up to $25,000 for a private meeting with Romney, an insider said Thursday. There also is a $10,000 VIP donation level and photo opportunities with Romney, which is standard for big-money events. The last time Romney attended a fundraiser in Reno, it netted $1 million.
“Beginning from the top down, Governor Mitt Romney still needs as much financial support as his campaign can possibly secure – especially for the swing states – of which Nevada is a key one,” an email to Republicans said. “Please encourage any and all of your friends to give as generously as possible to the Romney campaign.”
With the Nov. 6 election less than seven weeks way, both Romney and President Barack Obama are doing double duty, campaigning for votes on the trail and raising money behind the scenes, millions of dollars at a time.
The two men are competing heavily for Nevada, one of 11 battleground states up for grabs. Friday will be Romney’s sixth visit to Nevada since April, when he became the presumptive GOP nominee.
Obama has visited seven times this year.
A new CNN poll of likely voters in the Silver State released Thursday showed the president edging the former Massachusetts governor, 49 percent to 46 percent. The survey had a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points.
Romney is scheduled to address supporters attending the private fundraising event, scheduled from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m., before speaking to a public rally about 2 p.m. He is not expected to spend the night in Nevada.
Doors for the rally at Cox Pavilion at UNLV are scheduled to open at 11:30 a.m. for the 1:30 p.m. event in the arena, which can hold 3,000 people. Romney aides said people may RSVP at www.romneyinvegas.eventbrite.com to get free tickets and may call the Team Nevada office at 702-900-2079 with any questions.
Romney will focus on the economy during his address to the rally, according to his campaign. His visit coincides with the Friday release of new Nevada unemployment figures.
The Republican challenger has argued that Obama has failed to revive the economy quickly enough following the recession he inherited when he took office in 2009.
Nevada is the best example of the lingering economic doldrums with its highest unemployment rate in the nation at 12 percent, several points higher than the national average.
Contact Laura Myers at lmyers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2919. Follow @lmyerslvrj on Twitter.
