Mitt Romney hits the JW Marriott tonight for a fundraising bonanza that one Romney fundraiser expects will bring in more than $1 million. The candidate is hosting a policy roundtable, a photo op and a general reception that's expected to attract a who's who of K Street.
To participate in the policy roundtables, attendees had to raise at least $10,000. A photo with Romney costs $2,500 and admission to the reception, $1,000,
according to the invitation.
The health care policy round table will be led by former Utah Gov. and HHS Sec.
Mike Leavitt and includes pharmaceutical and insurance industry executives such as
PhRMA president
John Castellani and
AHIP executive vice president
Mike Tuffin. Attendees had to raise $15,000,
according to the invitation.
Other policy roundtable leaders:
Education: Bill Hansen and Tom Luna
Energy: LE Simmons
Financial Services: Bill Simon, Lanhee Chen and Frank Keating
Homeland Security/Foreign Policy: L.G. Kerry Healey, Eric Edelman, John Lehman and Michael Chertoff
Infrastructure: Jim Talent
Labor: Bill Kilberg
Romney has run aggressively against former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, former Sen. Rick Santorum and Rep. Ron Paul as the only candidate in the race that has spent his life outside Washington. Holding a mega-fundraiser at a swank, downtown hotel doesn't exactly burnish that brand. And Democrats have already begun hitting the front-runner for it.
"Romney's selling seats to a 'policy' roundtable to special interests and Washington lobbyists who he is promising to make more wealthy, more powerful and more influential if they give to his campaign," DNC spokesman Brad Woodhouse wrote in an email sent to reporters.
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