Romney Rakes in $3 Million at Connecticut Fundraiser, Supporter Says
Mitt Romney is in the middle of a fundraising blitz. After a successful Florida swing that brought in about $10 million, his campaign says it expects fundraisers in Connecticut and New York Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday to bring in another $10 million.
At a fundraiser at the Waldorf Astoria in New York Monday, National Finance Chairman Spencer Zwick said to about 250 donors, "We will raise more than $10 million and potentially substantially more than that," according to a pool report.
With the Republican Party, Romney raised $40.1 million in April. The Obama campaign, along with the Democratic Party, raised slightly more, bringing in $43.6 million. However, Romney's super PAC has been out-raising the pro-Obama super PAC. In April, the pro-Romney "Restore Our Future" brought in $4.6 million and they have $8.2 million in the bank. "Priorities USA Action," which backs Obama, raised $1.6 million in April and reported having $4.7 million in the bank.
Sunday, Romney attended a fundraiser in ritzy Greenwich, Conn. hosted by state senator and venture capitalist Scott Frantz at his home. The presumptive GOP nominee also Skyped with Americans living overseas in Hong Kong and Singapore after another dinner event with donors.
Tom Foley, a former ambassador to Ireland and a Romney fundraiser. said the event at Frantz's home was "very well attended" and the candidate got a "very enthusiastic reception."
Foley said "more than $1 million" were raised at Frantz's house and "maybe as much as $2 million" at the second Greenwich dinner event.
Foley said at Frantz's event there were "a lot of people there I had not seen at other fundraisers for Gov. Romney," and he "presumes they recently came on board to support" the candidate.
"I've been in Republican fundraising for a long time now," Foley, who also ran unsuccessfully for governor of Connecticut in 2010, said. "I noticed [people who have] contributed to campaigns in the past, but they haven't been at a Romney fundraiser until then. There were some new faces I had not seen at other Republican events before."
In Florida, Romney raised $2.5 million at a Tampa fundraiser last Wednesday and $2.4 million at a Miami fundraiser Wednesday evening. At a Jacksonville fundraiser Thursday, Romney hauled in $2.5 million, according to donors who helped to run the events in that state. He also held another event in posh Boca Raton.