Republican Presidential Primary Fundraiser Winners and Losers (ContributorNetwork)

Few lines are as memorable as "Show me the money!" from "Jerry Maguire." Presidential politics requires more than experience, it also requires a lot of money. First quarter fundraising numbers are due from presidential candidates by July 15, but most of the candidates have released their numbers early.

It is easy to get lost in the top line numbers; however, we need to examine the results carefully in order to determine the winners and losers.

Winners

Mitt Romney. The obvious winner of the Q1 money cycle is Romney. The Romney campaign disclosed that they brought in $18.5 million this cycle clearly exceeding his competitors. The only drawback for Romney is that his haul was not a large as it was in 2007 and many people expected larger numbers from him.

Jon Huntsman. Huntsman is attempting to position himself as a moderate alternative to Romney and as an ambassador to China he has not been able to dedicate himself to fundraising like other candidates. He had a very respectable $4.1 million. The Huntsman campaign has clearly stated they were going to skip the Iowa caucuses and this fundraising total will make him competitive in the New Hampshire primary.

Barack Obama. Wait -- wasn't this article about the Republicans? The July 15 deadline applies to the Democrats as well. Obama and the Democratic National Committee had set a target to raise $60 million and they expected to eclipse that mark. Obama is likely to skip public financing and his staff has hinted at spending as much as $1 billion on his re-election campaign.

Losers

Tim Pawlenty. Pawlenty's campaign indicated that it raised $4.2 million. Unlike Huntsman, Pawlenty was one of the first to announce his candidacy and has been raising money longer than the other candidates. These results are disappointing as he is fighting off a challenge from Bachmann in Iowa and will need to compete in both Iowa and New Hampshire. Pawlenty will need to boost his fundraising if he hopes to compete in both states.

Michele Bachmann. Bachmann is known for her grassroots fundraising efforts; however, her Q1 numbers are not expected to be impressive as she announced her candidacy late in the cycle. Her campaign has indicated that they are going to wait until the July 15 deadline, and it is unlikely that they are doing so because they are ecstatic about their numbers. More than likely the campaign is working on a strategy to prevent this disclosure from stopping her momentum from the New Hampshire debate.

The Rest of the Field. The rest of the field provided numbers that were expected and have not changed the race. Newt Gingrich's campaign raised $2.5 million, but is in debt and Ron Paul disclosed $4.5 million to fund his vanity contest. The rest of the candidates will be spending the next few weeks spinning their low numbers (if press talks to them at all).

Based on the first debate and the Q1 results there is no doubt now that Mitt Romney is the front runner. Republican donations are coming in at a slower pace than in 2007. Before we give Obama a second term we need to ensure that we understand the differences between the 2008 and 2012 elections. The 2008 election was an open election with a small number of serious candidates. The upcoming election is against an incumbent and the Republicans have at least three strong candidates and two (Palin, Perry) that have not ruled out a run. It is not unusual for the incumbent party to outpace the challengers. This year it appears that the gap is larger as the Republican money is sitting on the sidelines waiting for the field to sort itself out; however, it is likely that once a challenger is chosen the Republican candidate will not hurt for resources.

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Presidential election: Mitt Romney top GOP fundraiser, but behind 2007 pace (The Christian Science Monitor)

Washington – So far, Mitt Romney is the champion Republican fundraiser of the 2012 presidential cycle. On Wednesday, he reported raising $18.25 million in the second quarter of 2011 – all of it for the primaries – with $12.6 million in cash on hand. That’s far more than any other GOP candidate in the field raised, of the numbers released to date.

“Voters are responding to Mitt Romney’s message that President Obama’s policies have failed and that we need new leadership in Washington,” Romney finance chair Spencer Zwick said in a statement. “Our fundraising for the second quarter represents the strong support Mitt Romney has across the country.”

Indeed, Romney’s second-quarter take solidifies his position as the early frontrunner for the GOP nomination. But he failed to match his second quarter fundraising total from his last presidential run in 2007, when he brought in $23.5 million. That figure included $2.5 million of personal funds. This time, he has yet to self-fund. So the real apples-to apples comparison is $18.25 million versus $21 million.

IN PICTURES: Republicans in the 2012 presidential race

Why the decline? The down economy is certainly a factor, political analysts say. But there’s also still a sense that the field is unsettled. Texas Gov. Rick Perry still might jump in. And with so many other competitors, donors could be hanging back to see who develops momentum heading into early caucuses and primaries.

“There’s money on the sidelines,” says Ford O’Connell, chairman of the conservative Civic Forum PAC. “It’ s not necessarily for Governor Perry as much as it is for backing a winner who can go all the way.”

Mr. O’Connell also points out that an independent “Super PAC,” Restore Our Future, founded by former Romney political aides, raised $12 million in the first six months of 2011. The group, whose goal is to help Romney win the presidency, can raise unlimited donations from corporations, unions, and individuals, but must report those donors to the Federal Election Commission.

Romney is also garnering attention for holding a $2,500-per-person fundraiser in London on Wednesday. American citizens and green-card holders are also eligible to donate.

Some presidential candidates have yet to put out their second quarter 2011 fundraising numbers, including: former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, and President Obama. Congresswoman Bachmann has been a stellar fundraiser in the House, but she was a presidential candidate for less than three weeks of the quarter. Mr. Obama’s campaign predicts a second-quarter total of $60 million, to be shared with the Democratic National Committee. The reporting deadline for second quarter fundraising is July 15.

Here are the totals reported by other candidates:

Rep. Ron Paul of Texas: $4.5 million. Second only to Romney, Congressman Paul’s take reflects the depth of passion among his supporters.

Tim Pawlenty, former governor of Minnesota: $4.2 million. That figure is not outstanding for a candidate who started early and is thought to have top-tier potential, but it’s enough to keep going, analysts say.

Jon Huntsman, former governor of Utah: $4.1 million. That total includes personal money he loaned the campaign. He joined the race only on June 21.

Herman Cain, former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza: $2.5 million, including some “modest seed money” of his own, his campaign reports.

Newt Gingrich, former House speaker: $2 million. But he has only $225,000 in the bank, and debt of about $1 million, according to news reports.

IN PICTURES: Republicans in the 2012 presidential race

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Top GOP fundraiser: 'There's not too much money in politics' (The Christian Science Monitor)

Washington – Is politics awash with too much money?

Mike Duncan, chairman of American Crossroads, doesn't think so. His group, which solicits money to spend on behalf of conservative politicians, aims to raise $120 million to support GOP candidates in the 2012 election.

“There is not too much money in politics,” Mr. Duncan said Friday, in defense of his group's goal.

IN PICTURES: Will these Republicans run in 2012?

It is a matter of context, Duncan said at a Monitor-sponsored breakfast with reporters. "Our $120 million is in relation to a couple billion [dollars] on the other side.... We will probably be outspent as a party in this election.â€

In 2008, the Obama campaign raised $750 million. The Obama team is expected to spend more than that trying to get the president reelected in 2012.

American Crossroads, a Republican-backed independent group, was launched by Karl Rove, President Bush's former political adviser, among others. Mr. Rove acted after a 2010 Supreme Court decision, in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, made it permissible for "super PACs" to raise unlimited amounts of money from individuals, corporations, and unions, as long as the donors are disclosed and the groups do not coordinate their spending with federal candidates.

The $120 million goal includes funds that would be raised by American Crossroads, a tax-exempt 527 organization under Internal Revenue Service rules, and its affiliate, Crossroads GPS, a 501(c)4 group. Under the law, Crossroads GPS is not required to disclose donors' names to the public.

Crossroads President and CEO Steven Law said labor unions reported spending $400 million in support of Democratic candidates in the 2008 election. He expects similar spending by labor groups in 2012. Of his organization’s $120 million goal, Mr. Law said: “We are going to need every penny of it to have a chance of keeping up with the much larger dollars that we expect to be poured in by the left.”

IN PICTURES: Will these Republicans run in 2012?

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