A July 16 fundraiser for presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney at the City Club downtown did not disappoint.
Some 40 Republicans from around the state shelled out $50,000 each for an invitation to the two-hour luncheon, raising $2 million for the candidate.
While that made it a worthwhile visit to Louisiana for Romney, the event was also a success in the opinion of those who attended and left feeling encouraged and enthusiastic about the GOP’s chances of winning the White House this fall.
“It was worth every thousand dollar,” says Cajun Industries founder and political activist Lane Grigsby. “He gave us hope. I believe we have a chance of taking our nation back.”
Those who dined on shrimp cocktail, red snapper and filet mignon while Romney delivered a prepared speech and answered questions say the former Massachusetts governor is focused on jobs and the economy, something that resonated with the crowd of business leaders, many of whom are entrepreneurs.
“We started with nothing and worked our way up,” says Eddie Rispone, CEO of Industrial Specialty Contractors. “He understands that and isn’t trying to demonize hard work and success. He understands that is what motivates.”
Grisgby and his wife, Bobbi, and Rispone and his wife, Linda, were among just a handful of Capital Region Republicans who attended the fundraiser, along with Kevin Couhig, CEO of Source Capital, and Jeff Angers, president of the Center for Coastal Conservation.
Other notable GOP donors in attendance included Saints owner Rita Benson Leblanc, PHI CEO Al Gonsoulin of New Orleans, banker and businessman Joseph Canizaro of New Orleans, and Bollinger Shipyards CEO Donald “Boysie” Bollinger, who helped organize the event.
The fundraiser was also a feather in the cap of Gov. Bobby Jindal, who introduced Romney before his hour-long speech and Q&A session. Jindal is reportedly on the short list of potential Romney running mates, and at least one local political consultant gives him a two-out-of three chance of making it on the GOP ticket.
“He can raise money, he is ethnic and he’s been tested through two hurricanes and the largest oil well blow-up in the world,” says Roy Fletcher.
Others aren’t so sure Jindal will get the nod, primarily because Louisiana is not a swing state and doesn’t have a lot of votes that Romney needs. Still, the positive PR isn’t hurting Jindal’s national image, which suffered from his inept response to the 2009 State of the Union address.
At the very least, political observers say, it is fortifying his reputation as a player on the national political scene.
