Romney dials for dollars
Washington (CNN) – Fundraisers working for Mitt Romney rose before dawn Monday to gather throughout the Las Vegas Convention Center hoping to give his run for the 2012 Republican nomination a financial boost.
As a result campaign aides announced late Monday a much bigger haul than some donors had predicted: $10.25 million. Approximately 800 participants in the eight hour "Call Day" phoned donors across the country.
"We are overwhelmed by the outpouring of support for Governor Romney's campaign," Finance Chairman Spencer Zwick said in a statement. "The results are a strong indication of the national enthusiasm for Governor Romney and his pro-jobs platform. As today's event makes clear, Governor Romney will have the resources to be competitive and to spread his jobs and economy message."
The former Massachusetts governor formed his presidential exploratory committee last month allowing him to start raising money to be used for a GOP campaign.
During the event Monday Romney posted a message on his Facebook page to his supporters saying the effort is aimed at raising money for the kickoff and that "we want to make sure we connected with our friend and network to show the support" for what he called his "budding campaign."
In answers to previously submitted questions, he mostly focused on the economy and criticism of President Obama's handling of it. Romney also said that issue is how a GOP candidate can be victorious next year. He then repeated some of the general principles he would put into place, including cutting government spending, repealing the health care reform law, becoming more energy independent and streamlining government red tape.
Romney has been touring the country meeting with donors and fundraisers as he hopes to bring in an impressive haul for this quarter to show his strength as a candidate.
Romney raised $65.1 million in contributions for his 2008 bid for the GOP nomination. In addition he loaned his campaign $42.3 million from his personal funds.
With former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and real estate mogul Donald Trump now not running for the Republican nomination, Romney is the candidate who polls the best among the remaining candidates and is seen by outside analysts as the candidate with one of the strongest organizations and list of financial bundlers.
- CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser contributed to this story.
- Follow Kevin Bohn on Twitter: @KevinBohnCNN.
From CNN Politics
- Ramen noodles and drained savings: FEC weighs allowing candidates to use political cash to pay themselves bigger salaries
- 10 Cards Charging 0% Interest Until 2024
- Arkansas governor signs bill that restricts transgender students' bathroom use in schools
- DeSantis administration moves to extend prohibition on teaching sexual orientation and gender identity to all grades
- Trump attorney to testify Friday in Mar-a-Lago classified documents investigation after losing appeal
- Senate committee delays vote to consider Biden's pick to lead the FAA
RomBama Care is not going away and until Mitts deals with it head on and truthfully he will not break records with donations
Let’s get politics out of our schools. Teaching liberalism to our kids is just teaching them how to hate. Just read some of the comments on this board. Just like when the radical Imams’ teach their students to hate the west. Sickening!
Man up Mitt and say that Healthcare Reform was the right thing to do.
If it was good in Massachusetts then it is good for Wyoming and ever place in between. You championed it. You BRAGGED about passing it. YOU INSISTED on the Individual Manadate (so did Newt Gingrich by the way). Stop trying to SVENGALI your way out of it.
Or you can take that other favored GOP tact ... "I made a mistake". The only problem is that just about every Republican candiate will be using that line to explain away why, at one point or another, they were IN FAVOR of something that the President has accomplished or supports.
Too bad the prevailing conservative winds brand him as a RINO. Oh well, maybe with Trump out, Palin non-existent, Backman behaving herself, and Huckabee out, his voice might be heard. Somehow I get the feeling that he has already been heard and conservatives don't like him.
How about a Mitt/Newt or Newt/Mitt ticket? They have both endorsed insurance mandates in the past. Nah, too liberal in today's neo-con climate.
Well Mitt if that doesn't raise the funds you can always sell your 9500sq.ft 13 bedroom, 9.5 bath multi- million dollar mansion in Utah or " ski cabin" as you like to call it you wealthy elitist phony!............Beware of what this snake oil salesman tells you, his flag flies in whatever direction the wind happens to be blowing!
Maybe Trump has some chump change he can loan to his fellow vulture-capital Robber Baron.
He better not dial my number!
Romney made his money taking over companies, breaking them up, laying off American workers and outsourcing jobs.
He's a flip-flopper and a loser, who thinks because he's telegenic that he can run our country. He's nothing but another Greedy Old Party member, putting party before country and catering to his rich, international buddies.
If they'd called me, I would have told him to put the phone where the sun don't shine ...
it's all about the benjamins
Since he ran a hedge fund, I'm sure MIttens has a nice collection of hedge fund predators and Wall St. vampires he can dial for dollars. They've been busy sucking the money out of the poor and middle class, so I'm sure they can send some Mitt's way if he promises to do their bidding.
Aaahhh Romney too bad the best program the repugs came up with in years, you've got to run from. If you had tightened some strings around the insurance companies, Romney care would be a blast, even though you would still have to run from it. To please the lunatic fringe in your party. But I still bet on you winning the primary, even though you are the inventor of the most hated policy by the repug ever, because you have the right skin color. The world will now know, that it wasnt the Obama care that the repugs hated so much, but the man that brought it to life.
Mitt , none of your children did and military service.
And you want money to be Commander in chief ?
No Way , Please don't call me !
What has he done to spur the economy himself? What did he do when he was in "private business?" I didn't understand what he did when he worked for the capital company. I hoped that he would have explained that more.
It is great to see Mitt Romney's increasing momentum and growing popularity. People know now that it is important to vote based on capability and proven experience. Mitt has the capability to understand government's role in putting people back to work and growing America's economy. Massive government spending does not work. Managing government resources and being able to get results from government programs is what is needed. We can't spend our economy back to life and we can't tax our economy back to life. It takes capable management and allowing businesses to grow.