Romney in Washington to fundraise, meet with congressmen

BOSTON --Republican Mitt Romney focused his attention on the nation's capital Tuesday, meeting with members of Congress and attending two fundraisers that his aides hoped would raise nearly $1 million more for his presidential campaign.

During the second of two days in Washington, the former Massachusetts governor took part at a midday fundraiser that took in about $450,000, said one top adviser. Many of the attendees were lawyers and lobbyists, along with former Massachusetts residents and colleagues from Bain Capital, the venture capital firm Romney started.

An evening event in Maryland, hosted by the J.W. Marriott family, was expected to raise a similar amount. Romney's given first name is "Willard" in honor of his late father's friendship with John Willard Marriott, namesake for the Marriott hotel chain.

Romney also met with assorted members of the House and Senate, as well as political reporters for all the major news networks. The Republican formally launched his candidacy little more than two weeks ago. Last month, he raised an estimated $6.5 million in a single day.