Confident he has the nomination in the bag, Republican Mitt Romney’s team is turning to wooing conservative activists needed to build center-right voter enthusiasm for his fall campaign against President Obama.
And its working. Several Washington-based conservatives said on background that they now believe Romney will get the nomination over Rick Santorum and are getting behind the former Massachusetts governor. “We are going to have some fun trying to get Romney across the finish line, and if he makes it, the fun will only just have begun,” said a key conservative activist with ties to House GOP leaders, pro-life groups, evangelicals, and GOP think tanks.
The outreach has been intense and Romney surrogates have done way more listening than lobbying.
Among Romney’s top outreach coordinators is Bay Buchanan, a longtime strategist for conservatives and her brother Pat, who has been huddling with many political leaders and activists who have been slow to warm to Romney.
“I not only pick up some great insight for Boston,” she told Secrets, “but I enjoy every minute of them.” She has met three times with a group of about 20 activists organized by former Reagan aide Dennis Stephens, a longtime GOP strategist at K&L Gates LLP.
At those meetings, the activists have offered advice on policy, politics and even vice presidential picks as Buchanan furiously took notes.
“These activists have been through many a battle for the cause and have great wisdom as a result. The ideas flow and some are exceptional–and their collective energy is invaluable. They want to play a role it seeing new leadership elected in November and the Romney campaign will benefit enormously if we can get them so engaged,” she said.
