As Mitt Romney surges ahead in local polls, the former Massachusetts governor is bringing his campaign back to Southwest Florida in an attempt to seal the deal before Tuesday's primary.
On Sunday, January 29, the 64 year-old is scheduled to appear at Sugden Plaza in the heart of downtown Naples at 11:45am. The campaign will be holding an outdoor rally at 701 5th Avenue South, just west of Tamiami Trail, where Romney will be appearing alongside local Congressman Connie Mack IV.
Mack represents much of Southwest Florida in Congress and is currently contending for the Republican nomination for a seat in the United State Senate. Serving in Washington since 2005, Mack has been a vocal supporter of Romney and recently grabbed headlines for crashing rival Newt Gingrich's event in Sarasota to promote his preferred candidate.
Having previously visisted Lehigh Acres on Tuesday, January 24, this will be the GOP presidential frontrunner's second stop in the region during the busy 10 day sprint to the election. Speaking to several hundred attendees in an area devastated by the recent recession, Romney's prior event was centered on the topic of housing.
Though the visit to Naples lacks a specific theme, the rally is expected to draw an even larger crowd in the conservative Collier County community during the heart of its snowbird season. Headquartered in nearby Tampa, Romney's "Team Florida" will host the event, which is scheduled to conclude at 1:00pm.
Southwest Florida may lack a mega-market analogous to Orlando or Miami, but has been well represented during this campaign season. Leading contenders Romney, Gingrich, and Rick Santorum have each made multiple stops throughout the region of nearly one million residents.
While Romney passes through Naples on Sunday, the former Senator from Pennsylvania will be the featured speaker just north in Punta Gorda for a Lincoln Day Dinner at the Charlotte Harbor Event and Conference Center.
Florida opted to hold an early primary, even at the expense of losing half of its delegates to the Republican National Convention. That controversial decision now appears prudent, as the state has basked in the national attention of the heated campaign and so too has Southwest Florida.
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