Gov. Haley Barbour draws a crowd to Georgetown bars

More than 250 smartly dressed young conservatives turned out Thursday night for back-to-back fundraisers on behalf of Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (R).

Held at the popular Georgetown bars Gin and Tonic and Kitchen, the shindigs (one for cocktails and one for dinner) were organized by Fritz Brogan, a 25 year-old former staffer in the George W. Bush White House and a part-owner of both establishments.

The guest of honor, a possible challenger to President Barack Obama in 2012, stressed in his remarks how happy he was to see so many young GOP faces. Barbour said it reminded him of his youngest son's years in Washington. Reeves Barbour, a former Bush administration appointee, was in the audience.

The Republican Governors Association chairman also reminisced about the 1994 midterm elections, during which he was chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC). The GOP seized control of Congress that year, and Barbour said Thursday that 2010 was just as important, adding that a Republican majority in the House was just as close to becoming a reality as it had been in the summer of '94.

The staff at Kitchen and G&T served Mississippi foods (think hush puppies), and the bartenders wore shirts emblazoned with "Haley" logos. For guests, the unofficial dress code was preppy: seersucker pants and brightly patterned dresses were spotted in both locations.

According to organizers, the combined evening raised more than $75,000 for Barbour's political action committee, Haley PAC.

Spotted in the crowd: Former Federal Election Commission chairman Michael Toner, GOP consultant David All, Fox News Channel contributor Jim Pinkerton, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty's (R) senior adviser, Phil Musser (scoping out the competition?), former White House spokesman Stuart Siciliano, former RNC Young Eagles regional director Roby Penn and Civic Forum PAC's Ford O'Connell.