GOP VP pick Paul Ryan to raise money in Utah

Fundraiser will be his first visit to Utah since joining ticket.

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Mitt Romney's running mate, Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, will be in Utah on Sept. 5 for his first fundraising visit to the state since joining the GOP ticket, The Salt Lake Tribune has learned.

The event, which comes on the heels of this week's Republican National Convention, will cost $1,000 per person. There will also be a VIP reception for those who contribute $2,500 and a small dinner event for donors who give $25,000 to the Romney campaign and other Republican committees.

Romney is expected to be in Utah for a fundraiser sometime in the first week of October. The Romney campaign has raised $4.8 million in Utah through the end of July, according to the most recent reports with the Federal Election Commission.

Ryan, the chairman of the House Budget Committee, was last in Utah in June for a Park City fundraiser for Saratoga Springs Mayor Mia Love, the Republican candidate in Utah's 4th Congressional District against Democratic Rep. Jim Matheson.

Ryan also participated in a Deer Valley retreat with Romney's top donors and other leading Republican figures.

"Little did everyone know back in [June] that this was going to be the case" that Ryan would be the vice presidential nominee, said Rep. Jason Chaffetz, who will be acting as a surrogate for the Romney campaign at the Democratic National Convention and won't be able to attend when Ryan comes to town.

"Paul is an important choice for Utah, because he understands the Western issues," Chaffetz said. The window during the Democratic convention offers one of the last opportunities to take a short break from the campaigning in battleground states and raise money, he said.

"Pretty much from there it's a 60-day sprint to the finish line."