Mitt Romney Visiting Texas This Week

A week after Texas voters gave him enough delegates to secure the GOP presidential nomination, Mitt Romney travels to the Lone Star State this week to collect money for his campaign and tout his economic proposals.

The former Massachusetts governor will hold a fundraiser in San Antonio on Wednesday, hosted by billionaire Red McCombs and Clear Channel Communications founder Lowry Mays, along with Gene Powell, the chairman of the University of Texas Board of Regents. Their wives are also chairing the event. Texas House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, is on the event host committee.

Before the fundraiser, on Tuesday, Romney will visit an office supply company in Fort Worth to highlight what the campaign calls “President Obama’s hostility to job creators.” The company Romney will visit, Southwest Office Systems, describes itself as the “largest minority-owned, independent office equipment dealer in the Southwest.”

Romney sealed his party’s nomination last Tuesday, when he won 69 percent of the statewide vote in Texas — netting him more than 100 delegates. It takes 1,144 delegates to win the Republican nomination. According to the latest New York Times delegate count, Romney now has 1,191.

He won’t officially be the nominee until the Republican National Convention in late August.

Barring a major upset, Texas will go in the Republican column come November. That means Texas will be mostly flyover country for Obama and Romney. But both men will probably spend time here scooping from the vast pools of campaign money. 

Romney's wife, Ann, co-hosted a fundraiser with Texas first lady Anita Perry last month in Austin at the home of golfing legend Ben Crenshaw.

According to the fundraising invitation for Romney’s San Antonio event, which begins at 11 a.m. at the Marriott Rivercenter Hotel, donors who give $50,000 or raise $200,000 from others get to participate in a roundtable discussion with the candidate.

Those who give a $10,000 donation or raise $25,000 are allowed into a private reception with Romney and get their picture taken with him. Lunch can be had for the minimum donation of $2,500.

Proceeds go to Romney Victory Inc., a joint fundraising venture between the candidate’s presidential campaign and various state and national GOP campaign committees.

The fundraising tool allows wealthy donors to give far more than the typical $2,500-per-election limit. The umbrella group collecting the money can transfer funds through state party committees to key battleground states where the election between Romney and Obama will be won or lost.