Romney Seeks Massachusetts Show Of Force

Home is where the heart is. Unless you're a Massachusetts Republican; home is where your headaches are.

Ex-MA Gov. Mitt Romney left office in January unpopular with most Democrats and at odds with a part of the state GOP power base. But the upper echelon of the party, led by new chair Peter Torkildson, are fans.

So on Friday, Feb. 15, Romney will hold a major fundraiser in Boston. The guests will be as many Republican officials and office-holders as possible, from hamlet councils to city councils to state representatives. A Romney aidem in confirming the event, called it a "show of force." The press corps has also been invited.

The fissures in the party are real enough, but If the right people turn up, the pull of the Romney bandwagon will be too strong to resist. And if the right people (and they know who they are) don't show up, Romney's got a problem back home. [MARC AMBINDER]

Update: it'll be two days after he formally "announces."