SAN DIEGO -- Matt Romney shares more than a passing resemblance to his father, GOP presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

The two also share a goal of getting the senior Romney to the White House.

Matt Romney, 35, and his four brothers are among his father's most avid campaigners. A Rancho Bernardo resident, he recently held a fundraising rally in San Diego, travels throughout the country for the campaign and writes a blog with his brothers about their efforts on behalf of their father.

"All of us are canvassing the country," he said outside a Mira Mesa office where volunteers made fundraising phone calls, mentioning that his brothers were campaigning in Alaska and Florida. "We really try to get around and represent my dad as best we can."

About 90 members of the Romney clan participated in his campaign before the Republican straw poll in Iowa last month, Matt Romney said.

Children of candidates often campaign for their parents. But Mitt Romney's family support in California may be of particular use to the candidate this season because of the state's early primary, which has caused many candidates to focus harder on California's voters.

Built in part on a platform of family values, the senior Romney's presidential campaign was the result of a family decision, he said.

Mitt Romney's other sons, Tagg, 37, Josh, 31, Ben, 29, and Craig, 26, have given speeches, hosted fundraisers and helped shape their father's campaign strategy. Matt Romney said campaigning has not been easy as a working father with a pregnant wife.

"We really wouldn't be doing this if he wasn't a good person," he said. "I mean you can only get your kids to do so much. It's a labor of love."

Politics runs in the family. Mitt Romney's father was former Michigan Gov. George Romney. He ran for president in 1968 and lost the GOP nomination to Richard Nixon.

An Associated Press-Ipsos poll taken in mid-September showed Romney among the top four candidates for the GOP nomination. The poll showed a virtual dead heat between former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, both at 24 percent.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., was not far behind at 15 percent and Romney at 7 percent, according to the poll.

At a rally last week, Matt Romney and his wife, Laurie, were among nearly two dozen volunteers making phone calls on behalf of the campaign. The volunteers got a boost with a visit from state Sen. Mark Wyland, R-Carlsbad, a Romney supporter.

Wyland said Matt Romney's involvement in his father's campaign is evidence that "family values" is more than just campaign talk.

"I think it says something that we all like to see: a close-knit family," Wyland said. "But as important, it's a family that recognizes that Mitt Romney has the ability to make a difference in this country."

Born in Boston, Matt Romney attended Brigham Young University in Utah and later Harvard Business School in Boston. He worked for computer giant Microsoft in Seattle, where he began to dabble in real estate.

A father of three children, he moved his family to Rancho Bernardo two years ago and jumped into real estate full time. He is vice president of Excel Realty Holdings, a San Diego real estate firm.

"It's a little depressing up there (in Seattle)," he said smiling. "And I started to get into real estate. … I tried to figure out, 'Where do I want to be?' And San Diego was just the absolute perfect spot."

At a fundraiser last week, his uncle, Jim Davies, made phone calls to potential supporters. Mitt Romney's wife, Ann, is Davies' sister.

"Want to see me call Buzz Aldrin (the former astronaut and second man to walk on the moon)?" Davies asked while scrolling through a cell phone screen.

Midway through the five-hour fundraiser, Mitt Romney called by phone to thank the volunteers, and joked about his son's close physical resemblance to him.

"Matt is tireless and devoted and about as good a son as anybody could hope for," the former governor said over a speaker phone. "He is funny looking, but he's a good kid."

With the crowd bursting into laughter, his son answered back.

"I got that part from you, Dad," he said.

Contact staff writer Edward Sifuentes at (760) 740-3511 or esifuentes@nctimes.com.