Romney opens his lake house to N.H. Republicans

WOLFEBORO, N.H. -- Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney opened his Lake Winnipesaukee summer home yesterday to a few hundred Republicans from across New Hampshire. Officially, it was a fund-raiser for the state party. But if you're thinking about a run for president, as Romney is, it wasn't a bad way to meet potential voters in a key primary state.

The partygoers got off yellow school buses and were promptly met by their host, who was dressed in casual attire and who greeted them all by name. The event was closed to reporters, but several participants said Romney had impressed them with his graciousness and his erudition.

''He's very warm, very easy to be around," said Marie Paling, from East Kingston, and had been eager to meet Romney.

Paling said she told the governor that she had been an admirer of his father, George Romney, a former Michigan governor who unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination in 1968.

''I told him, at the risk of dating myself, that I was prepared to vote for his father," Paling said.

Was she hoping for a chance to vote for his son? ''That's what I told him," she said. ''I'm still with the Romneys, I guess."

Organizers of yesterday's event fretted about the weather, but in the end the rain held off. Guests dined on Swedish meatballs, a Greek spinach pie called spanikopita, and other appetizers as they heard Romney give a speech about getting Republicans elected, and about helping victims of Hurricane Katrina, participants said.

The state party gave Romney a copy of ''Why New Hampshire?," a book on the first-in-the-nation presidential primary by former Governor Hugh Gregg and New Hampshire Secretary of State William Gardner. The book was signed by Gregg's son, Judd, , a US senator. ''He presents very impressively and he seems to have a wide appeal," said Jan Glassman of Center Barnstead, who said she had seen Romney speak before, and noted how he tailors his remarks to particular audiences.

The presidential undertones were there but muted, participants said.

''Obviously he's going to be looking ahead and testing the waters," said Glassman's husband, Alan, an independent.

The fund-raiser had been on the governor's schedule for months, but the timing could prove fortuitous for Romney.

He is riding a wave of positive national media coverage, in part because of his willingness for his state to take in evacuees from Hurricane Katrina. (Massachusetts is hosting roughly 200 displaced people, but had offered to take thousands more.)

Ruth Griffin, a New Hampshire executive councilor and GOP activist, said before the event that she thought it would be a good opportunity to introduce Romney to Granite State Republicans who didn't know him yet.

''We're more aware of him in the border towns, but as you go into the interior in the northern part of the state, I don't know how much exposure he's had up there," Griffin said.

Several other possible Republican presidential contenders have also visited New Hampshire, among them Governor Mike Huckabee of Arkansas and Senator Bill Frist of Tennessee.

New Hampshire, Griffin said, loves ''giving the wannabes a chance."

Nancy Merrill, a national GOP committeewoman who sits on the executive committee of the state party, predicted that New Hampshire voters would begin to see a lot of activity once 2006 begins.

''In January," she said, ''there will start to be a major march."

Romney has attended several events in New Hampshire. He went to a Republican women's dinner in Manchester in June, and last month he discussed state politics with party leaders at his Wolfeboro home.

Romney aides declined to speak about his presidential ambitions. They noted that Romney, as vice chairman of the Republican Governors Association, is supposed to help Republicans get elected, and that the state GOP is seeking a strong gubernatorial candidate to unseat the Democratic governor, John Lynch, next year.

A Romney spokeswoman, Julie Teer, said he wanted to hold the fund-raiser to return a favor: Senator John Sununu of New Hampshire led an event for the Massachusetts Republican Party in Boston earlier this year, she said.

''What a great event for the governor to help New Hampshire Republicans, as Senator Sununu has helped Massachusetts Republicans," Teer said.

Warren Henderson, chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Party, said that part of the reason to bring Romney up north is to show people a good leader.

''One of the things New Hampshire needs to see is as many examples of real, legitimate, no-kidding governors as possible," Henderson said last week.

''Mitt Romney is a fine example of a governor that has that vision and presence and leadership," the state party chairman said.

''He connects very well with people," Henderson added. ''When he has a chance to talk to groups big and small, he always makes a good impression."

Scott Helman can be reached at shelman@globe.com.