Romney is seen expanding political trips outside Mass.
Visits focus on states crucial to national bid
Despite his stated focus on Massachusetts, Governor Mitt Romney has traveled out of state for political events at least 20 times so far this year and has laid plans for up to five more trips.
His schedule could fill further when he becomes chairman of the Republican Governors Association at the end of November.
Romney's upcoming trips will cap a year in which he has already spoken at or attended political gatherings in New Hampshire, Iowa, Michigan, South Carolina, and six other states, all of which could help him build momentum for a presidential run.
The trips have opened up Romney to criticism from Democrats and a few Republicans that he is less interested in being governor of Massachusetts than in generating buzz for himself nationally.
He and his staff are sensitive to that accusation, and on at least three occasions Romney has slipped away for political events without specifying to reporters what they were.
Over the next month, Romney is expected to join Governor Jeb Bush of Florida in Miami at a roundtable on disaster preparedness, to tout his stewarship of the Massachusetts economy to audiences in North Carolina, and to dine on steak and pulled pork with GOP faithful during two fund-raisers in Iowa.
Romney is also considering trips in November to New Jersey to support Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Forrester and to California for the annual Republican Governors Association conference. GOP activists in Jacksonville, Fla., and South Carolina say they're working on bringing him to their states soon, too.
Next year could be more demanding: Romney is all but assured of assuming chairmanship of the Republican Governors Association at the group's annual conference in Carlsbad, Calif., that begins Nov. 30.
As chairman, he will oversee efforts to get Republicans elected in three-dozen governors races nationwide. It is the busiest cycle for gubernatorial races.
''I'm sure he'll be active," said Republican Governors Association spokesman Ben Jenkins. ''He'll go to states and try to rev up Republican supporters."
Romney aides insist that few future trips have been confirmed, and they say he remains focused on Massachusetts, particularly his plans for providing healthcare to all state residents and education reform.
Many out-of-state journeys keep him away for short periods, they say, and more than half the trips this year involved events on weekends, holidays, or after business hours. In a few cases, he conducted state business or attended family functions, but also went to political events.
Spokeswoman Julie Teer said Romney expects to spend just a small fraction of his time on the road when he takes over the governors group.
''Like Ted Kennedy and John Kerry, Governor Romney is a leader in his party and is frequently asked to help fellow Republicans raise money and speak at events," Teer said. ''We don't accept every request, but when there is an opportunity to help fellow Republicans and it works in his schedule, he will do it."
Teer noted that, with the exception of a possible trip to Washington, D.C., this week, Romney expects to be in Massachusetts every work day in October.
''The governor loves the job he's got," she said, pointing out that Romney opted to forgo a salary. Romney's trips for political business outside the state are paid for by his campaign account or by the Republican Governors Association, if for that organization.
But as Massachusetts eagerly awaits Romney's announcement on his future, every trip to a fund-raiser or political event fuels speculation that he's eyeing the White House, especially when it's to states such as Iowa and Michigan, where Romney's political action committee, the Michigan-based Commonwealth PAC, has been generous with campaign donations. (Romney says he will announce this fall whether he will seek reelection.)
Romney is expected to attend at least two upcoming events in Florida, a key state in any general presidential election but one he has not actively courted thus far.
One is a Nov. 4 Republican Governors Association event in which Romney will share the stage with Jeb Bush and the group's current chairman, Governor Kenny C. Guinn of Nevada. Then, in early April, Romney is scheduled to deliver the keynote address at a Republican Jewish Coalition dinner with big donors in Palm Beach.
Republicans in the Jacksonville area, who say Romney made a stellar impression when he visited for the Super Bowl in February, are working on having him return in the coming months.
Mike Hightower, chairman of the Republican Party of Duval County, Florida, said Romney followed up his visit by sending personal notes to people he met.
''It made a huge impression," Hightower said.
The Jacksonville region, a growing bastion of GOP voters, is seen as a trove of votes and fund-raising dollars.
When Romney takes over the Republican Governors Association, he will have to carefully weigh how much energy he gives it, Guinn said.
''There are some demands on your time," Guinn said, ''but you have to make up your mind about what you're doing at home. Your core business is running your state."
Frank Keating, a former governor of Oklahoma who chaired the Republican governors group in 1998, said that leading the group could be invaluable to Romney if he seeks the presidency.
''I think that if an individual like Mitt Romney is also interested in the prospect of a presidential run, to give him an opportunity to travel around the country to talk about ideas . . . is a great platform," Keating said.
Keating predicted Romney would face the same criticism Keating did for his out-of-state duties. But, Keating said, ''My bottom line is, Mitt Romney as RGA chairman is a plus for Massachusetts and a plus for him."
That's a point Romney himself made when he became vice chairman a year ago, and supporters say it holds true. Ron Kaufman, a GOP national committeeman for Massachusetts and a longtime party activist, said Romney's prominence helped the state emerge relatively unscathed from the recent round of military base closings.
''As the old saying goes, if you want something done, ask a busy man," he said. ''[Romney] accomplishes more in less time than anyone I've ever met."
Being chairman would also help Romney build a network for a presidential run, said Daron Shaw, an associate professor of government at the University of Texas at Austin who worked on President Bush's campaign in 2000.
''You've got to move fast these days," Shaw said. ''You have to have a national organization lined up and ready to fly if indeed you want to run."
Governor Michael S. Dukakis was in a similar position in 1986 and 1987, when he served as chairman of the Democratic Governors Association. Dukakis used the perch to win broader name recognition, which he parlayed into the nomination for president in 1988.
''It's just another something that you're doing that gives you a little more prestige and stature in a national sense," Dukakis said.
Most of the criticism of Romney's travel has come from Democrats, but some Republicans also question the impact on Massachusetts.
If Romney does not seek reelection, he would be the fourth elected Massachusetts governor in a row and the third consecutive Republican to seek federal office. Christine Cedrone, a Republican state committeewoman from south of Boston, said it hurts the party when its governors ''don't seem to want to be governor."
''As much as I think Romney has done a great job, like any other person, there are negatives to the positives," she said. ''I would like to see our governor be governor."
Other Republicans say they have no quarrel with Romney's busy schedule.
John Boyle, a Republican state committee member from the Norfolk, Bristol, and Plymouth district, said Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey has proven to be an able leader in his place.
''I don't think we skip a beat," he said.
Romney is hardly the only state politician to draw criticism for his travels. House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi came under fire last week for attending a national speakers conference in Las Vegas during a busy week on Beacon Hill.
Aside from a planned trip this week to Washington, D.C., Romney's next journey is to North Carolina on Oct. 10, when he attends a luncheon in Raleigh and is the featured speaker at an evening event in Charlotte. Later in October, Romney is to deliver the keynote address at a ''Steak Fry" fund-raiser in Dallas County, Iowa, and will also speak at a $35-per-person hog roast fund-raiser in the Quad Cities area.
Local Republican activists in Myrtle Beach, S.C., and Nashua, N.H., are working to set up events with Romney in the near future.
Aides say the governor may also go on a rescheduled trip to Israel in late December or early January.
Scott Helman can be reached at shelman@globe.com 