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Washington • Presidential candidate Mitt Romney paid courtesy visits to both Utah senators on Wednesday and agreed to a pledge to slash big government, limit spending and seek a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution.
"I am for cut, cap and balance," Romney told reporters after leaving Sen. Mike Lee's office.
Lee, who is pushing the Republican Study Commission's pledge, has yet to endorse any presidential candidate but was overheard telling Romney that business experience was key to his support.
"It was a good first discussion," Lee spokesman Brian Phillips said after the meeting. "He hasn't made any commitments yet and would like to talk to all the candidates."
Lee was general counsel to then-Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, who recently entered the presidential contest.
Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, has already endorsed Romney. The Utah Republican organized a meeting in his own office for the former Massachusetts governor with several Republican senators: Thad Cochran of Mississippi, Jim Risch of Idaho, Bob Corker of Tennessee, Jeff Sessions of Alabama and Scott Brown of Massachusetts.
Hatch said he's backed Romney for years and "I live up to my commitments."
The senator said he believes several fellow Republicans in the group will line up behind him, though none agreed to immediately.
"There were a number there who would support him," Hatch said after the meeting.
Hatch said the short meeting centered on the economy and jobs and how the campaign is going. Romney talked about President Barack Obama's approach to governing, Hatch said, but the former governor also listened to comments by the senators and answered questions.
"He knows it's a long way until November 2012," Hatch said.
Other than saying that he'd back the cut, cap and balance pledge, Romney declined to answer any other questions from the mob of reporters who awaited him outside Lee and Hatch's offices.
He did, however, take time to sign autographs for a few fans, including a picture of himself and a baseball.
Lee, a darling of the tea party movement, said this week that he won't back any White House hopeful who won't agree to the pledge he's pushing, though they don't necessarily have to sign it.
Huntsman told reporters last week that the only pledge he backs is the Pledge of Allegiance.