Romney’s son pushes dad’s fundraising in Valley

Presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s son, Josh Romney, breezed through the Valley this week to help promote his father’s next national campaign fundraising effort.

Read Paul Giblin's blog, Checking In

Unlike the elder Romney’s two previous national fundraising efforts that targeted high-rollers, the next one is geared exclusively for low-rollers.

“This is more of a grassroots effort to get as many people as possible excited and involved in the campaign,” Josh Romney said Wednesday. “It’s a way to for people who wouldn’t normally be able to participate, because a lot of the events are really expensive, to become involved and participate.”

The goal of the initiative, which is called “Rally for Romney,” is to recruit community captains, who will try to raise $1,000 each, a few dollars at a time, by Sept. 25, when rallies will be held in more than 40 cities in 20 states.

Until then, the national campaign will stage Web-based events featuring the former governor of Massachusetts in support of the drive, said Romney, 32, a Salt Lake City real estate developer who joined his father’s campaign full time in mid-June.

Mitt Romney is expected to appear at several Arizona events. His Arizona campaign manager, Jason Rose, said the Republican candidate will return to the state “soon,” though he declined to elaborate.

The specific locations of the Arizona rallies on Sept. 25 have yet to be announced, but campaign supporters are finalizing locations in Mesa and Tucson, Rose said.

Arizona residents have been generous toward Romney already, having contributed more than $1 million to his campaign to date.

“We’ve done great in Arizona. We’ve got some great people supporting us here,” said Josh Romney, the third of five sons in the Romney family.

“We’ve had a lot of support in Arizona. We’ve got a great team, a lot of endorsements, a lot of business leaders helping out.”