Mitt Romney's enthusiasm gap on the Hill
By ANNA PALMER and JAKE SHERMAN | 3/21/12 4:48 AM EDT
Mitt Romney’s campaign called on the Washington establishment for help this month. The response: a promise of cash, but not much enthusiasm.
On Thursday morning, Romney’s biggest supporters on Capitol Hill are supposed to come out with their best donors to help the GOP front-runner deepen his cash base. But the RSVP list is looking thin.
Even though the fundraiser is expected to raise $400,000, the figure organizers say is the goal, only 27 of the nearly 80 lawmakers that endorsed Romney had signed on to raise money just two weeks ahead of the event, according a document obtained by POLITICO.
The response reflects an uncomfortable reality for Romney: some Republicans are willing to pony up cash to help him beat President Barack Obama, but that doesn’t mean he’s widely loved.
And as Romney burns through cash faster than he’s bringing it in, he’s going to need all the new donors he can find to broaden his fundraising base. Winning the nomination is just the start of an even more expensive fight with the deep-pocketed Obama campaign.
Romney’s taking the issue seriously. He even made a personal call recently to his friends on Capitol Hill, urging them to participate in the fundraiser Thursday.
Read much more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0312/74277.html#ixzz1pkRWJlAJ
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