De caza en el Capitolio

El Gobernador Romney ha visitado esta mañana el Capitolio federal en busca de endorsements. Se ha reunido con los legisladores de algunos de los estados que celebran primarias en las próximas semanas, para conseguir que lo respalden. Evidentemente, no les ha solicitado su apoyo de manera directa. En estos casos, el candidato suele interesarse sobre sus proyectos y necesidades, y se ofrece a hacer lo que esté en sus manos para resolver las cuestiones que les inquietan.

POLITICO.com tiene los detalles:

Mitt Romney is holding a series of private meetings on Capitol Hill today with GOP leaders and congressional delegations from key primary states that have yet to vote in the primary, according to Republican sources.

Romney is shuttling supportive and uncommitted members from Texas, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania through the second floor conference room of the NRCC for face time and to make his pitch about why the party should rally to his candidacy.

"Governor Romney would like to invite supporting and undecided Members of the Texas delegation to a private meeting on Thursday, March 22," Romney backers emailed to the Texans.

The Texas meeting lasted about a half-hour this morning and included Rep. Kay Granger, a senior member of the delegation and Romney backer in both his White House runs.

The Wisconsin session was also about 30 minutes and Romney asked the lawmakers about the state's political landscape, according to attendees.

"The governor is being recalled, and this is a battle over whether states have a right to control their own state employees and unions," said freshman Wisconsin Rep. Reid Ribble of what Romney was told about the embattled Scott Walker. "'You need to be aware of that' - and he is aware of it."

Ribble said one message was made clear: if Romney wants to win Wisconsin, he has to spend time in Wisconsin.

As attendees sipped coffee, Romney didn't directly ask for anyone's endorsement. Each Republican in attendance spoke about themselves and their district.

With Budget Chairman Paul Ryan in attendance, Romney congratulated the group for passing the budget out of committee.

"It was great," Ryan told POLITICO. "We talked about the Packers, we talked about the Lions."

Romney, who began his day with a breakfast fundraiser with his congressional supporters, also is slated for a private sit-down with House GOP Whip Kevin McCarthy, an unaligned member of the leadership who has been outspoken about the frontrunner can improve his campaign. Further, as first reported by National Review's Robert Costa, Romney met with Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC), who has yet to get behind the man he endorsed in 2008.

At the breakfast, held in the Capitol Hill Hyatt, 88-year-old Rep. Ralph Hall (R-Tex.) told Romney that he "never met a Mormon I didn't like" and noted that the teetotalers "give me those airplane bottles of booze when we're on a flight." Romney laughed good-naturedly with the oldest House member.