The former Massachusetts governor, who owns a home in La Jolla, is expected to remain in the area for the weekend, but no other events are scheduled, campaign aide Ryan Williams said.

The visit follows recent campaign stops around the country during which Romney took issue with President Barack Obama for taking a vacation in the midst of a weakening economy, and his "Corporations are people" response to a protestor at the Iowa State Fair who appeared to suggest that he should support increasing taxes on corporations.

San Diego Democratic Party Chairman Jess Durfee said members of his party disagree with Romney's characterization of corporations and linked his views to those of Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista.

"Romney and Issa want to lavish corporations, big oil, and millionaires with tax breaks while supporting draconian cuts to education, gutting Medicare, and slashing Social Security," Durfee said. "Issa and Romney's 'corporations first, middle class last' policies are out of touch with the needs and values of Americans."

The Romney campaign posted a video on its web site on Friday that reiterated corporations are indeed made up of people.

"It's really astonishing to me that the Obama folks would try to argue that businesses are not people," Romney says in the video. "What do they think they are, little men from Mars? But when they tax business, they tax people."

In the most recent nationwide poll of voter preferences for the GOP primary -- conducted Monday by Rasmussen Reports -- Romney trailed Texas Gov. Rick Perry, 29 percent to 18 percent. Perry formally entered the race last week.