Romney's wife pays fast visit to the Valley

9/7/2007

Beacon News

Erika Wurst

SUGAR GROVE -- In 1980, Dan Rutherford was the executive director for Ronald Reagan's Illinois campaign.

With the title came privileges. At 24 years old, Rutherford found himself waiting at O'Hare International Airport to pick up "first lady in the making" Nancy Reagan for a Midwest visit.

Fast forward to 2007, and Rutherford, now a Republican state senator from Pontiac, was having déja vu.

As former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's 2008 presidential volunteer campaign chairman, Rutherford again made the trip to O'Hare.

This time, it was to scoop up another first lady hopeful, Ann Romney, as she landed in Illinois.

"I'm so glad that she's going to be the next first lady," a confident Rutherford said to a small group of supporters who gathered at the Aurora Municipal Airport Thursday to meet the 2008 presidential candidate's wife. "She's going to be someone we're proud of."

In the midst of a downpour, Romney hurried into the room and was greeted with applause.

"Of course you can have a hug," she said, beaming at a man who had driven from Lansing, Mich., for the brief encounter.

Romney, a mother of five, pushed back a 4:30 p.m. flight to Michigan so she could spend time thanking her supporters. While in the Chicago area for the day, Romney dined with Dutchie Caray at her late husband Harry Caray's restaurant in Rosemont, and met with retiring U.S. Rep. Dennis Hastert and his wife, Jean.

Romney credited the hard work of local, grassroots campaigners for her husband's recent success in the Iowa and Illinois straw polls.

"It's the people on the ground that make all the difference," Romney said.

Stephanie Navarro, 22, of Montgomery, is one of those ground people.

Since her recent return from school in Davenport, Iowa, the public administration and political science graduate has been attending local political events.

"It brings (politics) down to a human level," Navarro said. "A lot of times, national candidates seem so untouchable. At small gatherings like this, you get to see the real person."