Romney himself is not expected to be present. Romney alums to meet for super PAC

The former high command of Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign plans to gather in Washington next week to boost the new GOP super PAC America Rising, according to an invitation obtained by POLITICO.

The July 23 event is advertised as a “Happy Hour with Matt Rhoades and Team Romney (‘08 and ‘12) to celebrate the launch of America Rising PAC.”


Rhoades, the former Republican National Committee research director who managed Romney’s 2012 race, is one of the primary founders of America Rising.

The group was launched earlier this year as a Republican counterpart to American Bridge, the Democratic outside group that gathered opposition research and tracking footage on Republicans throughout the last election cycle.

The host committee for the event is a who’s-who of top Romney brass, including former senior strategists Stuart Stevens and Russ Schriefer, pollster Neil Newhouse, digital director Zac Moffatt, CFO Brad Crate, deputy campaign manager Katie Packer Gage, political director Rich Beeson, RNC finance director Angela Meyers and early-state advisers Jim Merrill, David Kochel, Tom Rath and Ryan Erwin.

Ben Ginsberg, the Romney campaign’s former top lawyer and now a member of the Presidential Commission on Election Administration, is also on the host committee, as is former Missouri Sen. Jim Talent, who was a Romney national security adviser and surrogate campaigner.

There are also several participants listed from the world of pro-Romney outside groups: GOP ad maker Larry McCarthy and the firm Black Rock Group, which worked with the Romney super PAC Restore Our Future, are involved. So are Lisa and Charlie Spies, the Republican fundraising husband-and-wife duo. Charlie Spies was president of ROF.

The gathering is at the offices of Clark Hill, the Washington law firm where Charlie Spies works. The invitation says a host committee dinner will follow, with a $1,000 ticket price.

A source said that the invitation went out to alumni of both of Romney’s presidential campaigns.

Romney himself is not expected to be present.

This article tagged under: Mitt Romney

Super PACs