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---
title: Rich Republican Donors Get VIP Retreat Treatment
description: Call it Club Med for the political mega-donors. Attendees at Mitt Romney&#x27;s third annual retreat this weekend will have the chance to go skeet shooting...
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author: Zeke Miller
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article:published_time: 2015-06-11T23:49:59.000Z
article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:03:05.520Z
article:section: Politics
og:title: Rich Republican Donors Get VIP Retreat Treatment
og:description: Call it Club Med for the political mega-donors. Attendees at Mitt Romney&#x27;s third annual retreat this weekend will have the chance to go skeet shooting...
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twitter:description: Call it Club Med for the political mega-donors. Attendees at Mitt Romney&#x27;s third annual retreat this weekend will have the chance to go skeet shooting...
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![](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2829fd8d2304a468/6988542c0b72e36a7f6e46e1/mitt-romney.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9)


# Rich Republican Donors Get VIP Retreat Treatment

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by 

[Zeke J Miller / Deer Valley, Utah](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/)


## Zeke J Miller / Deer Valley, Utah


Jun 11, 2015 11:49 PM UTC

![Romney 2012](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2829fd8d2304a468/6988542c0b72e36a7f6e46e1/mitt-romney.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=3:2)

Security officials stand watch as cars enter a garage at a private 2012 donors' conference for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney at The Chateaux at Silver Lake at Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah.

Security officials stand watch as cars enter a garage at a private 2012 donors' conference for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney at The Chateaux at Silver Lake at Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah. Charles Dharapak—AP

by 

[Zeke J Miller / Deer Valley, Utah](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/)


## Zeke J Miller / Deer Valley, Utah


Jun 11, 2015 11:49 PM UTC

Call it Club Med for the political mega-donors.

Attendees at Mitt Romney’s third annual retreat this weekend will have the chance to go skeet shooting with South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham or play flag football with Florida Sen. Marco Rubio. They can even do “Sunrise Pilates” with Bloomberg reporter Mark Halperin and the former first lady aspirant Ann Romney.

The event offers high-profile and high net-worth individuals the [opportunity](http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/candidates-court-romney-network-exclusive-utah-summit-31560505) to gather in picturesque Deer Valley, Utah, and the chance to meet with at least six presidential candidates.

Graham and Rubio will be joined by former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. According to the schedule, attached below, only Rubio and Graham will lead “enthusiast sessions” — the early morning extra-curricular events for the approximately 250 attendees.

The conference was born in 2012 as a way for donors to mingle with Romney, the then-presumptive Republican presidential nominee. There will be plenty of opportunities for that, as Romney will lead hikes both Friday and Saturday morning. His wife, Ann Romney, will also host a horseback riding session on Saturday.

![](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfc922380753c3148/6988542c55a8591658a8c77b/screen-shot-2015-06-11-at-3-35-39-pm1.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp)

TIME

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