Former Massachusetts governor and current Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney will travel to Idaho Monday as part of a fundraiser, joining Idaho Republican governor Butch Otter.
Mr. Romney will attend a private campaign fundraiser breakfast in downtown Boise Monday morning before traveling to another event in Idaho Falls. It is Mr. Romney’s first trip to the state since announcing his bid for the Republican presidential nomination last month.
The Spokesman-Review reports Mr. Romney will also announce his statewide steering committee. The list includes Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter, U.S. Sen. Jim Risch, U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson and Secretary of State Ben Ysursa, among other top Idaho Republicans.
Romney spokesman Ryan Williams said the Idaho visit is likely to be the first of many as the presidential election builds over the next year.
The trip comes as Mr. Romney stirred controversy over the weekend, saying he would not sign a controversial anti-abortion pledge. The former Massachusetts governor said the pledge was “overly broad.
“It is one thing to end federal funding for an organization like Planned Parenthood; it is entirely another to end all federal funding for thousands of hospitals across America,” Mr. Romney wrote in defense of his position. “That is precisely what the pledge would demand and require of a president who signed it.”
