Romney heading to London for fund-raiser

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney greeted supporters outside the Brewery Bar IV in Aurora, Colo., on Tuesday. John Moore/Getty Images

By Matt Viser

June 23, 2011

3 minutes to read

WASHINGTON — Mitt Romney is planning to travel to London next month for a fund-raiser in one of the banking capitals of the world, soliciting campaign contributions from well-connected Americans abroad as he attempts to expand his fundraising base across the Atlantic.

It is a rare step for a presidential candidate – and unheard of so early in a campaign – and is yet another indication of his front-runner status, his overwhelming fund-raising strength, and his desire to have a statesman’s reach.

The fact that he is choosing to begin the next fund-raising quarter in a foreign capital also illustrates his current strategic focus of raising hordes of campaign cash rather than making the normally required appearances in VFW halls and small-town diners.

In fact, Romney will have spent more time this year around Westminster than he has Waterloo, Iowa. He’ll also be making the trip less than six weeks before the Iowa Straw Poll, for which other candidates are spending time organizing but which Romney is choosing to skip.

“There is a lot of interest in this election among Americans living abroad who like everyone else are worried about what the weak economy and lack of jobs means for our status in the world,’’ said Eric Fehrnstrom, one of Romney’s advisers. “They want to know if we are going to lead the world economically or become something less.’’

London is replete with Americans involved in the securities and investment industries, an area that Romney has targeted given his background as an executive at Bain Capital. Only American citizens or US green card holders are allowed to contribute to a presidential campaign, a point Romney’s campaign makes clear on the fund-raising invitation.

Fehrnstrom would not say whether Romney has any other activities planned during the trip.

Few presidential candidates have held fund-raisers on foreign soil. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani became the first in September 2007, also on a trip to London. Future first lady Michelle Obama and former President Clinton were also featured at fund-raisers that year, raising money for their spouses.

Then-Senator Barack Obama, in 2008, attended a fundraiser held at the Notting Hill home of Rupert Murdoch’s daughter, Elizabeth.

The fund-raiser for Romney is behind held July 6 at Dartmouth House, a building not far from Hyde Park that has marble fireplaces, Louis XIV walnut paneling, and a painted ceiling by Pierre Victor Galland.

The suggested contribution is $2,500, according to a copy of the invitation obtained by the Globe.

The reception hall there can hold 350 people, meaning they could raise $875,000 if they fill the space.

Among those who are co-chairing the event are hedge fund manager Louis Bacon; Raj Bhattacharyya, managing director at Deutsche Bank; Woody Johnson, owner of the New York Jets; and former Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey and her husband, Sean.

Meanwhile, Romney supporters yesterday formed a so-called super PAC that will allow them to raise large sums of money independent from the presidential campaign. The political action committee, called Restore Our Future, was formed to support Romney’s campaign.

The group’s leadership includes Carl Forti, who in 2008 was Romney’s national political director and has since been political director of American Crossroads, a separate PAC set up by several prominent Republicans including Karl Rove.

The group also includes Larry McCarthy, who was part of Romney’s media team in 2008 and who also produced the 19888 Willie Horton ad that damaged Michael Dukakis’s presidential campaign that year. The treasurer of the super PAC is Charles Spies, who was the general counsel to Romney’s 2008 campaign.

“Our nation is burdened by a struggling economy; our job creators who are tied up with red tape, and a growing federal government is stifling the private sector,’’ Spies said today. “Restore Our Future will support a candidate who has worked in the private sector, who has created jobs, who understands the economy, and who believes America can succeed by the power of the American workforce.’’