Hugin attends Romney summit in Utah

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Bob Hugin spent the weekend in Utah attending Mitt Romney’s annual political retreat.

Hugin’s campaign did not disclose that the retired Celgene CEO was out of state. In response to a request for the candidate’s schedule, the campaign said that Hugin was taking the weekend off after winning the Republican primary last Tuesday with 75% of the vote.

Hugin kept his attendance quiet and a series of tweets from Hugin’s Twitter account did not mention that he was in Utah.

Romney’s invitation-only Experts and Enthusiasts Summit at a lodge in Deer Valley ran from Thursday through Sunday.  It typically attracts an elite group of millionaires and billionaires who gather to discuss public policy and talk politics.

Besides Hugin, House Speaker Paul Ryan, former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, ex-Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, and National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman Cory Gardner were among the speakers.  Actor Seth Rogen and former Trump communications director Anthony Scaramucci were also on the invitation list, according to published reports.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie had attended the summit in past years.

An invitation to the Romney event offered Hugin an opportunity for face time with Republican mega donors who could wind up contributing one of several super PACS supporting his campaign to unseat Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez.