Bend over and take one for cash....

Donors Speed-Date the G.O.P. Hopefuls

By ASHLEY PARKER

When Republican donors and operatives descended on 'Mittens' Romney’s annual retreat at a five-star European-style lodge here last year, they came to pay homage to Mr. 'Mittens' Romney and try to regroup after losing the 2012 presidential race.

This year, many of those donors made the same pilgrimage, but with a decidedly different mission: to be inspired and, they hoped, to fall in love.

In two days of luxury candidate speed dating that began Thursday evening — flag football with Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, skeet shooting with Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and speeches by no fewer than six 2016 hopefuls — about 250 members of Mr. 'Mittens' Romney’s network took stock of the Republican field, hoping to find a candidate who not only excites them but who they believe can win a general election.

Former Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida, who was in Europe and did not attend the event, was supposed to have already locked up this establishment donor base that just months earlier was urging Mr. 'Mittens' Romney to consider a third run at the White House. But several stumbles by Mr. Bush left the party without a clear favorite.

And a half-dozen likely Republican presidential candidates were on hand to try to succeed Mr. Romney as the standard-bearer of their party: In addition to Mr. Rubio and Mr. Graham, there were Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey; Carly Fiorina, the former chairwoman of Hewlett-Packard; Gov. John Kasich of Ohio; and Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin.

“I think people want to be inspired,” said Spencer Zwick, Mr. Romney’s finance chairman. “I think they want to be inspired and they want to see a path to victory.” But, he added, “Donors, especially, want to know what is the path to victory, and I think there are a lot of donors who are not yet convinced that there is someone with a path to victory.”

Between sunrise hiking and panels aplenty and late-night drinks, something of a donor diaspora emerged. Some are sticking with Mr. Bush and the belief that he is most qualified to be president; some like Mr. Rubio’s message of generational change; others like Mr. Walker’s Midwestern charm and executive experience; and many remain undecided.

Over the course of the retreat, donors — many of whom are still hoping to cast their money with a winner — found something to like in most of the suitors who came to win their hearts. Or, at least, their wallets.

“The way I see the thing, Jeb is still the front-runner,” said Anthony Scaramucci, founder of SkyBridge Capital and a Walker supporter. “I think Marco Rubio and Scott Walker are right behind him.” But, Mr. Scaramucci added, he found the speeches by Mr. Walker and Mr. Kasich (who stressed the “kindness of conservatism”) to be the most compelling. “They’re very passionate guys who are execution-oriented in executive roles,” he said.

Wayne Berman, a Rubio supporter, noted the heightened “excitement about Marco, obviously.”

“He presents a different face for the Republican Party; he clearly is a candidate who’s looking to the future,” Mr. Berman said. “He’s an exciting speaker and a very thoughtful person.”

And from Lanhee Chen, Mittens 2012 policy director: “A lot of people thought Walker came off well — he was low key, but they like his executive background.”

“And overwhelmingly, people were impressed with Rubio,” he added. (Mr. Rubio, who showed up at the breakfast still in his flag football clothes and shared an early morning table with the Romneys, offered a mix of elevated rhetoric and flashes of humor.)

Mr. Christie also appealed to more establishment sensibility of the crowd. And Mr. Graham, during a question-and-answer session, delighted with a smorgasbord of quips and one-liners.

“We tried tall, good looking, smart, nice, great family,” Mr. Graham said, to laughter. “Vote for me. We’re not going down that road again.” But he also talked about how he believed that he could work with Democrats.

Ms. Fiorina was not slated to speak until Saturday morning.

As for Mr. Bush, donors largely seemed to understand the competing demands of his foreign trip and the impending official launch of his candidacy on Monday, though his presence was still missed. “Well, of course they noticed his absence,” Mr. Zwick said. “He’s running for president.” His son, Jeb Jr., represented his father at the gathering, meeting with more than 100 donors and landing an audience with Mr. Mittens.

Mr. Romney appeared at ease, in a way he rarely was as a candidate. Though he has told confidants he is unlikely to endorse early on in the contest, he relishes his role as the unofficial father of his party and wants to win the presidency back for Republicans.

If only the assembled crowd here in Park City — and voters across the country — can decide on a preferred candidate.