Romney gives cash to struggling supporter at rally
Sumter, South Carolina (CNN) - Mitt Romney gave a handful of cash Saturday to a woman who had told him she was struggling financially after an event in Sumter, South Carolina.
An aide said the GOP candidate gave the supporter "what he had on him" - about $50 or $60.
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The woman, Ruth Williams, met Romney earlier in the week and told him she was having trouble making ends meet. On Saturday, Romney recognized Williams while he was shaking hands with supporters after a rally, an aide said.
Romney spoke to the woman and handed her several bills.
"He was kind to me," Williams said. "He held onto me and he made Gov. [Nikki] Haley and them come see about me."
Williams told reporters that on Wednesday she had seen Romney's campaign bus on the highway and followed it to an airport. Aides then invited her to come meet the former governor at an event in Columbia.
"I was on the highway praying and said, 'God, tell me how to get [my] lights on, and I pulled up to a stop sign and his bus was there,'" Williams said.
Williams has been out of work since October and is caring for an ill son. She said that after meeting Romney she had also met South Carolina state treasurer and Romney supporter Curtis Loftis, and said he had given her money. She said she used the money to pay her light bill.
A Romney campaign aide confirmed Loftis had given Williams money.
Williams has been volunteering at Romney's state headquarters in Columbia since the original meeting, she said.
"God didn't tell me to go to nobody else," she said when asked whether she had approached other presidential candidates. "He told me to pray for Romney."
The cash gift is notable from a candidate who has said he would not give away "free stuff" as president but rather would focus on cutting back on federal spending and stimulating private sector growth.
"I know there are some people who run for president that will say, 'Hey, I'm going to give you more. I'll find a way to give you some more. I'll change the rules and give you more money," Romney said at a December event in Conway, New Hampshire. "I'm not that guy. If there's a competition for who will give you the most free stuff, go vote for that guy."
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Romney gives cash to struggling supporter at rally
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Now he finally gives the middle class something -- when he wants something. So NOT surprised here.
If he were really interested in helping out the poor, he would not have made so many people poor to begin with. And that goes for his policies that basically rob the middle class and poor to pad the pockets of the rich too.
Is a good gesture, however for as rich as he is he could help her with a decent amount.
There is a HUGE difference between giving personal money away versus the government giving money away. Those that are trying to link the two are either trolling or are completely clueless.
Nice gesture, but we are not forgetting your animal cruelty past...
Did you read the one from 'lps' that at least he gave her his money...$60 from Romney is like a penny from a regular American...in fact I think the penny wins! Seriously, this is almost degrading that he would go to such a low level.
Keep praying. That's why you are broke and stupid.
Pittance to the poor.
That isn't new coming from romney he said something and do the opposite obama 2012 we need a president who won't let middle class American be crush by the thiefs GOP
IWhen I read the Headline, I thought, Oh Oh, we have another Edwards here!
One more thing. She ALREADY WAS a Romney supporter. This didn't sway her or buy anything And finally for those criticizing because 60 bucks to Romney is like five cents to the normal person. Why don't you go give until it hurts before you expect someone rich to do it.
I've never heard of such a patronizing gesture in my life....
I dont know what to say..Im speechless. okay, calm down a bit...I thought only liberals had hearts, seems I was mistaken, Mitt Romney and one of my co-workers, I will leave un named to save her embarrassement are the only Republicans I know with any compassion.
Why not $10k? What a cheap SOB! Makes frivolous bets with another SOB in a debate, but throws pennies to the economically challenged. This guy doesn't really want to lead us to prosperity, he just wants to be President. Probably one upping his dad who didn't quit make it.
he is a good man,he'll make a good president if he gets ellected,,,& there is nothing wrong with reaching out.
It's all staged. This from a guy who had his dog on top of his car "an we know what happen" an laugh about it in a interview. Yeah it's staged.
Romney has said he is running on his record of job creation at Bain Capital, but he is outraged that the other republican candidates are exposing his record of killing jobs at Bain Capital. Arrogant disconnect!
Romney has said he is running on his record of job creation at Bain Capital, but he is outraged that the other republican candidates are exposing his record of job destruction at Bain Capital. Arrogant disconnect!
Okay let's put this in perspective. $60 from a person making $40,000 a year is .015 percent of their money. The lower end estimate of Willard Mitts salary is $194,000,000 (some estimate 250million). But using $194M === if you take .015 percent that means whereby a regular American hands over $60; Romney should give $291,000 - does that show how silly this shallow act really was?
Hate to sound cynical, but this sounds terribly staged.
It's a lot easier to stand at a podium and flippantly tell people to get jobs than it is to look an un- or underemployed person with a hard-luck story in the eye and say the same thing, isn't it, Gov. Romney?
That being said...$60, Daddy Warbucks?? That's not likely to get anyone's electricity bill paid, much less anyone who's so far behind their power is about to get shut off.
Lastly, the bit about G-d telling Ms. Williams to follow your bus and volunteer for your campaign is a bit much for secularists to believe and the evangelicals aren't going for you anyway, so what was the point of this bit of stagecraft?
I would rather a politician hand money out of his own pocket than to reach into mine and give my money away to others!!!!!!
In ky, they also kick in a bottle of whiskey as well. If he had truly wanted to help her, he would have given her some real money, and kept his mouth shut. As it says in the scriptures, he has already recieved his due.
I thought he was a "job creator." Shouldn't he have created her a job instead? What's with this redistribution of wealth? No more welfare for these lazy people!
Does that woman really think that Romney cares about her? She has been used for his own political posturing.
You gotta hand it to him; even Newt didn't think of this one.