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Romney visited Utah and Arizona earlier this week.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Mitt Romney has spent much of 2009 raising money for other Republicans, but the former Massachusetts governor is also working hard to keep his own coffers flush.

Romney collected over $200,000 during a two-day Western swing this week, according to an aide - a total that includes $85,000 raised at a Wednesday event in Phoenix co-hosted by his former Republican presidential primary opponent John McCain.

McCain and his fellow Arizona senator Jon Kyl headlined the event at Chase Bank Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Romney also took in $125,00 from a $1,000-a-plate dinner in Salt Lake City on Tuesday.

The money will go to Romney's "Free and Strong America" political action committee, which allows him to maintain a national profile by traveling the country in support of other Republican candidates as he mulls a second presidential bid in 2012.

UPDATE: McCain was not at the Phoenix event but lent his name to the invitation.

Sen. McCain spoke about health care at a town-hall event in Arizona Tuesday. (Photo Credit: Getty Images)

(CNN) – Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, said Tuesday that President Obama's efforts to reform health care have sparked "a peaceful revolt in America."

"I've seen involvement and engagement on the part of Americans that I have never seen the likes of which before," McCain said at a town hall in Phoenix, the first of eight such meetings he will hold around the state this week.

For more than an hour, the former GOP nominee alternated between cracking some well-worn jokes from his two presidential campaigns and listening to the concerns of his constituents, one of whom demanded that McCain "nuke" the health care plan entirely.

"No compromises, no comprises, no compromises," chanted one woman, a self-described former Democrat. "Senator, nuke it now!"

Though McCain firmly rejected the idea of a government-run insurance option, saying it would eventually drive private insurers out of business and lead to a full government takeover of health care, he echoed his 2008 campaign platform and said it would be irresponsible to simply "do nothing" - especially with the threat of Medicare and Social Security going broke.

"So let's go back with constructive, free-market incentives to improve the quality of health care and the affordability and availability," he said.

Later in the meeting, McCain was jeered when he insisted that Obama's views be respected despite his differing opinions on how to achieve reform.
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Sen. McCain spoke about health care at a town-hall event in Arizona Tuesday. (Photo Credit: Getty Images)

(CNN) – Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, said Tuesday that President Obama's efforts to reform health care have sparked "a peaceful revolt in America."

"I've seen involvement and engagement on the part of Americans that I have never seen the likes of which before," McCain said at a town hall in Phoenix, the first of eight such meetings he will hold around the state this week.

For more than an hour, the former GOP nominee alternated between cracking some well-worn jokes from his two presidential campaigns and listening to the concerns of his constituents, one of whom demanded that McCain "nuke" the health care plan entirely.

"No compromises, no comprises, no compromises," chanted one woman, a self-described former Democrat. "Senator, nuke it now!"

Though McCain firmly rejected the idea of a government-run insurance option, saying it would eventually drive private insurers out of business and lead to a full government takeover of health care, he echoed his 2008 campaign platform and said it would be irresponsible to simply "do nothing" - especially with the threat of Medicare and Social Security going broke.

"So let's go back with constructive, free-market incentives to improve the quality of health care and the affordability and availability," he said.

Later in the meeting, McCain was jeered when he insisted that Obama's views be respected despite his differing opinions on how to achieve reform.
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At least two men were spotted carrying assault rifles outside Obama's speech.

(CNN) – At least two Arizona men brought assault rifles to President Obama’s speech Monday to the annual Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Phoenix.

CNN’s Ed Henry reported that one of the men was carrying an AR-15 assault rifle and shouted anti-Obama slogans. The men remained outside the convention center where the president was speaking. Henry said U.S. Secret Service and local police were "very much aware" of the situation and were paying close attention to the men.

However, Arizona is an open-carry state, meaning it's legal to carry firearms in public as long as they are visible.

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At least two men were spotted carrying assault rifles outside Obama's speech.

(CNN) – At least two Arizona men brought assault rifles to President Obama’s speech Monday to the annual Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Phoenix.

CNN’s Ed Henry reported that one of the men was carrying an AR-15 assault rifle and shouted anti-Obama slogans. The men remained outside the convention center where the president was speaking. Henry said U.S. Secret Service and local police were "very much aware" of the situation and were paying close attention to the men.

However, Arizona is an open-carry state, meaning it's legal to carry firearms in public as long as they are visible.

Roland Rochester says he's confident President Obama will handle the Iraq and Afghanistan wars well.

PHOENIX, Arizona (CNN) - President Obama will take a brief hiatus from his health care push on Monday and turn his focus to the wars in Iraq in Afghanistan.

Obama will address the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Phoenix, Arizona, where he'll talk about where the United States stands in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, the impact the men and women of the Armed Forces have had in those countries and the United States' responsibilities to maintain the world's finest military, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said.

Nearly 13,000 VFW and ladies auxiliary delegates are expected to be at the convention, where veterans have high expectations for the president.

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McCain confirmed Tuesday he’s planning to run for a fifth Senate term in 2010.

(CNN) – Former GOP presidential candidate John McCain denied Tuesday that political considerations - a desire to appeal to Clinton supporters - played a role in his selection of running mate Sarah Palin, calling her “an energizing factor” and telling reporters the Alaska governor has a “very bright future in a leadership position in the Republican Party.”

"She did a great job of energizing our base. I'm very proud of her,” he said at a press conference in Phoenix, his first since losing to Barack Obama three weeks ago. “It's one of the great pleasures I've had to get to know her and her family, and I think she has a very bright future in a leadership position in the Republican Party.

"....I knew that she would be an energizing factor, because she energized me," he added. "Our base, and most Americans, viewed Governor Palin as a breath of fresh air."

Taking a look back at the presidential contest, he said his campaign was dealt a fatal blow when public focus shifted from foreign policy to the faltering economy. “The American people - and I respect that decision, I don’t in any way criticize it – [decided] that the economy was of vital importance. And it is,” he said.

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Obama will run ads in McCain's home state of Arizona.

(CNN) - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama will start advertising for the first time in rival John McCain's home state just days before the November 4 election, Obama campaign manager David Plouffe told reporters Friday.

Plouffe said the campaign will broadcast its positive spot, "Something," in Arizona.

"We're running a positive ad there. It's Sen. McCain's home state. We're cognizant of that," Plouffe said.

All the same, the campaign considers Arizona worth fighting for.

"If someone else had been the Republican nominee, it would have been a core battleground like its neighbor Western states," Plouffe said, adding "Our internal data suggests this could be a very, very close race."

The latest CNN national Poll of Polls, released Friday morning, finds McCain leading by 4 percentage points in Arizona, which he has represented in Congress for 25 years. The poll of polls found the Republican leading Obama 49 percent to 45 percent, with 6 percent of the state's voters undecided.

Thursday's poll of polls showed Obama leading McCain by 5 percentage points, 49 percent to 44 percent, with 7 percent undecided.

A McCain spokesman dismissed Obama's advertising as a "waste of his resources."

"Voters in Arizona won't accept job-killing tax increases, won't accept a trillion dollars in new federal spending and won't accept Barack Obama," Tucker Bounds said.

But Plouffe said Arizona was in play, partly because the Obama campaign was "doing very well" with Hispanic voters and suburban voters.

He said the campaign was going back on the airwaves in Georgia and North Dakota with its negative advertisement, "Rearview Mirror," which ties McCain to President Bush.

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McCain’s campaign is spending to reach voters in his home state of Arizona.

(CNN) – Democrats are making a late play for Arizona as new polls show home-state Senator John McCain with a shrinking single-digit edge over Barack Obama.

A CNN/Time/Opinion Research Corporation poll released this week suggested McCain holds a 53 percent to 46 percent advantage. Other new surveys have indicated an even tighter race.

Earlier this week, the McCain campaign and the Republican National Committee paid for negative robo-calls in the state, telling voters Obama’s election “invites a major international crisis he will be unprepared to handle alone.

“If Democrats win full control of government, they will want to give civil rights to terrorists and talk unconditionally to dictators and state sponsors of terror. Barack Obama and his Democratic allies lack the experience and judgment to lead America,” said the calls.

MoveOn.org said Thursday it was launching its ‘Obamacan’ ad statewide on broadcast and cable in response. The ad features a life-long Republican who supports Obama.

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McCain’s campaign is spending to reach voters in his home state of Arizona.

(CNN) – Democrats are making a late play for Arizona as new polls show home-state Senator John McCain with a shrinking single-digit edge over Barack Obama.

A CNN/Time/Opinion Research Corporation poll released this week suggested McCain holds a 53 percent to 46 percent advantage. Other new surveys have indicated an even tighter race.

Earlier this week, the McCain campaign and the Republican National Committee paid for negative robo-calls in the state, telling voters Obama’s election “invites a major international crisis he will be unprepared to handle alone.

“If Democrats win full control of government, they will want to give civil rights to terrorists and talk unconditionally to dictators and state sponsors of terror. Barack Obama and his Democratic allies lack the experience and judgment to lead America,” said the calls.

MoveOn.org said Thursday it was launching its ‘Obamacan’ ad statewide on broadcast and cable in response. The ad features a life-long Republican who supports Obama.

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New gains for Obama on the CNN Electoral Map.

(CNN) - If Barack Obama is betting on Nevada, he may find a pleasant payoff. A new poll suggests that the Democratic presidential candidate is widening his lead there.

That's contributing to an increase in territory for Obama in CNN's Electoral College Map. The map estimates what would occur if the election were held today, by reviewing state polls, voting trends, campaign visits and advertising.

In the Nevada survey - one of five CNN/Time/Opinion Research Corporation state polls released Thursday morning - 52 percent of likely voters say Obama is their choice for president, with 45 percent backing John McCain. That seven-point lead is up from a five-point advantage Obama held in a poll taken one week ago.

Nevada narrowly voted for George W. Bush in the last two presidential contests.

"Obama is racking up support among blue collar voters in Nevada," said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "Two weeks ago, he had a six-point lead among people with no college degree. Now he has a 23-point lead over McCain among that group. If the unions are making a big push for Obama in Nevada, it seems to be working."

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To track the Arizona primary results county-by-county, click here: Arizona

(CNN) – John McCain’s win in his home state wasn’t an easy one. For much of the night, the Arizona senator was neck-and-neck with Mitt Romney among Republican voters - and among self-identified conservatives, at one point, he was losing to Romney by 11 points. McCain's clearly having a good night, but it appears it was a hard-fought victory among Republicans who know him best.

–CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider

To track the Arizona primary results county-by-county, click here: Arizona

Over 50 percent of Democratic voters in Arizona's Democratic primary said Sen. Ted Kennedy's endorsement of Obama influenced them.

(CNN) – The Arizona Democratic primary remains a tight contest between Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama, with evidence suggesting that Sen. Ted Kennedy's endorsement is helping Sen. Obama.

More than half of voters in Arizona's Democratic primary say Kennedy's endorsement of Obama was important – and those holding this view voted for Obama by a wide margin.

Exit polls also suggest the Kennedy endorsement might have been influential among the state's Latino voters, who supported Clinton but by a smaller margin than in other states.

As elsewhere, white men supported Obama over Clinton by a small margin; white women voted for Clinton over Obama by a much larger margin. Latino women likewise voted for Clinton over Obama by a large margin, while Latino men were more evenly divided in their vote.

Obama is hitting the airwaves in two states that vote February 5.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Democrat Barack Obama’s campaign has hit the air in two February 5 states.

In Arizona, a state with a large retirement population, Obama’s new television ad relates a story he tells often on the campaign trail, about his mother’s battle with cancer and mounting medical bills.

“My mother died of cancer at 53. In those last painful months, she was more worried about paying her medical bills than getting well. I hear stories like hers everyday,” says the Illinois senator in the 30-second spot, titled “Mother.”

“For 20 years, Washington has talked about health care reform and reformed nothing. I've got a plan to cut costs and cover everyone. But unless we stop the bickering and the lobbyists we will be in the same place twenty years from now. I'm Barack Obama and I approve this message because to fix health care we have to fix Washington.”

On Friday, the campaign announced the endorsement of Janet Napolitano, the state's popular Democratic governor.

In “Quiet,” Obama points to oil as both an environmental and a national security issue, and stresses his straight-talking credentials.

“I don't accept that we should be still sending eight hundred million dollars a day, part to hostile nations because of our addiction to foreign oil,” says Obama in the new 30-second ad, airing in California. “And in the bargain we're melting the polar ice caps.

“I went to Detroit to insist that we have to increase fuel efficiency standards. Now, I have to admit, the room got kind of quiet. We can't just tell people what they want to hear. We need to tell them what they need to hear. We need to tell them the truth.”

The ads are Obama’s first in states set to vote on February 5, the so-called Super Tuesday contests.

–CNN Associate Political Editor Rebecca Sinderbrand

Napolitano’s nod could help Obama in western states.

(CNN) - CNN has confirmed that Arizona’s popular Democratic governor, Janet Napolitano, will endorse Barack Obama. The endorsement could prove useful in the upcoming caucuses in Nevada, where Napolitano is expected to join Obama on the trail this evening.

Napolitano is the most prominent Democrat in Arizona, which is one of more than 20 states holding a Democratic presidential primary on "Super Tuesday," Febuary 5. Her backing, especially as a female elected official, is considered a big boost for his campaign in the state.

Napolitano plans to join Obama as he campaigns in neighboring Nevada, the sources said.

Obama received another big boost in South Carolina on Thursday when Sen. John Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential candidate four years ago, announced he's endorsing the U.S. senator from Illinois.

UPDATE: In a conference call with reporters, Napolitano praised Obama for his "leadership and
vision" and said she was endorsing him because "we need a new message of hope and solidarity of coming together in Washington."