Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney came to the Vineyard Saturday for a brief fund-raising trip, with a small group of supporters braving intermittent rain showers to get a glimpse of him.
The plane carrying the former Massachusetts governor arrived at the Martha’s Vineyard Airport at about 10:20 Saturday morning, with state police cars and motorcycles and Secret Service on the ground to greet him. Mr. Romney did not announce his arrival ahead of time through his campaign office.
At about 10:45 a.m., as Mr. Romney’s motorcade drove through the airport business park, there were also about eight people — four of them children — on hand to show their support.
Kate Huchko, seven, and her sister Anna, nine, carried colorful handmade signs reading “Welcome Mr. Romney.”
They were joined by their parents, John and Candace. The family lives in Doylestown, Pa., and Oak Bluffs.
“We thought we could catch a glimpse and say hello, give him some support and a nice welcome,” Mr. Huchko said. The family did not plan to attend the fundraising event, he said.
Edgartown resident and Romney supporter Matt Parker brought his one-year-old son Benjamin.
“I heard he was flying in, I came to check it out,” Mr. Parker said, as Benjamin pointed out planes flying overhead. “It’s a chance to see a future president- elect.”
“He seems like the ideal candidate,” he added, saying that he’s seen President Obama’s motorcade before.
As Mr. Romney’s motorcade drove past, with press and staff part of the caravan, the former Massachusetts governor waved at his supporters through the window. The Huchko family, heading back to the car with umbrellas, said it was worth the wait.
Mr. Romney had no public appearances planned during his visit, which featured a clambake luncheon at the Oak Bluffs home of Kate and Jim Sims in Farm Neck.
According to an invitation to the event obtained by the Gazette, there was an 11 a.m. VIP reception planned for those who contributed or raised $50,000 per person, and an 11:30 a.m. photo reception for those who raised $25,000 or contributed $10,000 per person. A general reception, planned for noon, required a contribution of $2,500.
Resort casual attire was requested.
Representatives from Mr. Romney’s campaign did not respond to requests from the Gazette for more information about the event and Mr. Romney’s schedule, nor did they provide information about how much was raised at the fundraiser.
The New York Times and other news outlets reported that Mr. Romney’s weekend of fundraisers, starting with an event Friday night in the Hamptons, raised $7 million for the campaign. After the Vineyard, Mr. Romney attended fundraisers in Osterville and Nantucket.
After vacationing on the Vineyard for the past two summers, President Barack Obama has no plans to come to the Island this year. But fundraisers are being held on his behalf, including a fundraiser earlier this week featuring cast members from the television show The Wire at the Davenport home in Oak Bluffs.
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