Romney set to address convention for McCain

Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor who overwhelmingly won the Nevada Republican presidential caucuses in January, will appear on behalf of presumptive nominee John McCain at the upcoming Nevada Republican convention, sources confirmed Friday.

Since dropping out of the race, Romney has been campaigning for McCain around the country. On Jan. 19, Romney had the support of 51 percent of Nevada Republican caucus-goers.

Texas Rep. Ron Paul also is slated to speak at the convention, which will be held in Reno on April 26.

A McCain spokesman said the Arizona senator, who was invited to address the convention himself, was not snubbing Nevada but had previously scheduled events in the Eastern United States at that time.

"Governor Romney has tremendous support within the state of Nevada," McCain spokesman Jeff Sadosky said. "He quickly turned around after the primary and threw his entire support behind John McCain. John McCain is very honored by that support and by the fact that Governor Romney is working so hard on so many fronts to support John McCain."

McCain will be finishing up his "It's Time for Action" tour of Alabama, Ohio, Kentucky, Louisiana and Arkansas and attending fundraisers in Florida at the time of the Nevada convention. The tour is aimed at establishing dialogue with parts of the country politicians too often overlook, Sadosky said.

Nevada Republican Party Executive Director Zac Moyle welcomed Romney back to Nevada.

"It was largely his time and effort in this state that helped develop the strong grass-roots infrastructure we've seen so far this (election) cycle, one that John McCain's going to benefit from," he said. "We're disappointed that Senator McCain couldn't make it, but there's no one better to be here in his stead than Mitt Romney."

Moyle said McCain's absence isn't a slight because he is sure the candidate will visit Nevada often in advance of the November election.

McCain came in third in the January caucuses, which drew about 44,000 people, a record but less than half the participation in the Democrats' caucuses. Paul came in second.

Record attendance is expected at the state convention, at which Gov. Jim Gibbons, U.S. Sen. John Ensign, U.S. Rep. Dean Heller and state Sen. Bob Beers also are scheduled to speak, and delegates to September's Republican National Convention will be elected.

Rep. Jon Porter, who skipped last month's Clark County Republican convention, will not attend the state convention. A spokesman said Porter will be attending his daughter's wedding in California that day.

Contact reporter Molly Ball at mball@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2919.