Several politicians thought to be in consideration as Mitt Romney’s running mate have joined the presumptive GOP presidential nominee at a Utah retreat.

More than 500 individuals are expected to attend the event with big Romney donors in Utah, according to a report in Bloomberg.

Former Gov. Tim Pawlenty (Minn.), Sen. Rob Portman (Ohio), Rep. Paul Ryan (Wisc.), Gov. Bobby Jindal (La.), Gov. Bob McDonnell (Va.), and Sen. John Thune (S.D.) will be among the attendees, according to ABC News.

The 2008 GOP nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), former Gov. Jeb Bush and former secretaries of state Condeleeza Rice and James Baker III are also joining the event, according to Bloomberg’s report.
Notably absent will be Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.) who is thought to be among the top veep options for the GOP presidential hopeful, according to the Wall Street Journal. Rubio told the Journal he wanted to spend the time with his kids.

Attendees flew to Salt Lake City Thursday night and went to a cookout at Olympic Park Friday night, according to ABC News. Chateaux at Silver Lake, a hotel, is hosting the event, Bloomberg reported.

The event will be a who’s who of the GOP party and is sure to be an attractive event for donors. Fundraising events are key for donors to get their time to hob-nob with the leaders the are supporting.

This retreat is no different. Campaign and party heads such as former White House advisor and American Crossroad super-PAC founder Karl Rove will field private meetings with donors and offer lectures on several issues like foreign policy, Bloomberg reported.

(Source: The Hill)