Super PACs and Party Stalwarts Mix in Tampa

By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE

Why did the super PAC go to Tampa? Because that's where the money is.

Tucked away amidst the parties, speeches, and junkets on Wednesday was a private breakfast briefing thrown by Restore Our Future, the super PAC that helped Mitt Romney win the Republican nomination and now hopes to help him win the White House. The group, founded by three former Romney aides, set up shop at the Vinoy Renaissance resort in St. Petersburg, the same hotel booked by Mr. Romney's campaign and the Republican National Committee to house top “bundlers” and donors.

“All the super PACs are here,” said Carl Forti, who was political director of Mr. Romney's 2008 and campaign and now directs Restore Our Future's more than $100 million budget of political ads. “You've got hyper-interested people, you've got the major donors of the party here. So it's a great time for us to talk to them and tell them what our plans are.”

Mr. Forti and his colleagues - Larry McCarthy, a Republican veteran who created ads for Mr. Romney and now does the same for super PAC, and Charles Spies, the group's lawyer and a former Republican National Committee council - held forth for two hours to a crowd of current and potential donors in a ballroom not far from the Romney campaign's own donor welcome suite at the Vinoy. Fruit plates and muffins awaited the donors, along with thick red information packets, a “What They Are Saying” pamphlet touting Restore's press, and a dramatic video narrating Mr. Romney's victory in the GOP primary and crediting Restore with a pivotal role in the win. Mr. Forti jogged through a Power Point presentation and took questions from the six- and seven-figure givers about polls and swing state politics.

“During the primary, we had contributed to Mitt's campaign,” said Mark Speers, a medical consulting executive and friend of Mr. Romney's. “We were looking for a way to contribute in a bigger way.”

“They're very thoughtful, these PAC guys,” Mr. Speers added.

Several prominent Republican elected officials also attended, reflecting the super PAC's growing clout in party politics and the increasing boldness of party officials in mixing with the super PACs who must attend carefully to federal rules barring them from coordinating their spending with candidates and parties. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, who will introduce Mr. Romney on Thursday night, gave brief remarks, as did Mia Love, a Republican congressional candidate and rising star who spoke during prime-time on Tuesday - a chance for both to hob-nob with the sort of top-tier donors who can help power a bid for higher office.

“These are folks who have been very generous in helping us get the message out about the choice in this election,” Mr. Rubio said. “It's a good group.”

“Obviously, these groups have legal restrictions on how they can coordinate and what we can, and you have to lawyer up to make sure you're not violating any laws,” Mr. Rubio added. “On the other hand, they're an important voice now in American politics. They're a vehicle through which we can inform voters of who we are and who we're not and explain to them the choices in every election cycle.”

Other attendees included William F. Hagerty, a Tennessee executive a senior advisor to Mr. Romney's campaign in the state; William Simmons, a Washington lobbyist who is among Mr. Romney's top bundlers; William Laverack, Jr., an investor and major Romney donor; and Brian Baker, the president of Ending Spending, the super PAC bankrolled by billionaire investor Joe Ricketts.

As donors exited, a Restore aide, mindful of a reporter taking notes outside, encouraged guests to hide their name-tags under their jackets. Outside the room, Mr. McCarthy, pressed by one potential donor about coordination rules, gave a quick pep tal k about the rules of the road and noted that the group worked closely with American Crossroads, a super PAC co-founded by Karl Rove, for which Mr. Forti also consults.

“You can't coordinate with the R.N.C. and you can't coordinate with Mitt,” Mr. McCarthy explained to the guest. “But we coordinate very closely with Karl.”