Romney NYC Fundraising: Support for Israel Highlighted, Lures Obama Supporters

● The Big Apple is the scene where Romney is busy doing some end-of-the-third quarter fundraising:

Mitt Romney highlights support for Israel on fundraising tour of New York
Sarah B. Boxer
Sept 26, 2011

NEW YORK – While his date with The Donald may have gotten all the buzz, Mitt Romney had a much more serious agenda here than meeting celebrity businessman Donald Trump — fundraising.

The Republican presidential candidate held multiple fundraisers in the Big Apple on Monday. One was with wealthy Jewish donors who convened at an upscale midtown law firm, Weil, Gotshal and Manges. Like all of his Romney’s Monday events, it was invitation only. No press. No pictures.

But two undecided voters who attended the fundraiser because of their affiliation with the pro-Israel group NORPAC said that there were “several hundred people” in the audience and that Romney spoke at length about Israel, and his unwavering support for it. According to them, he didn’t mention his chief rival for the Republican nomination, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, at all, focusing his fire on President Obama. Romney struck them both as electable – and they said he has got their vote. Another man said he was “very funny”, citing Romney’s stump speech line about not inhaling politics.
[...]
Romney held at least one fundraiser before, and one after the Weil, Gotshal event, with more on deck for Tuesday.[...]

● Former Wall Street backers of President Obama are opening their checkbooks for The Gov:

Romney Lures Obama Wall Street Donors in Race for Campaign Cash
Jonathan D. Salant and Lisa Lerer
Sept 26, 2011

Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney has raised more than twice as much money from Wall Street as Barack Obama — an edge gained in part by luring away at least 100 donors, mostly investors, who backed the president in 2008, according to a Bloomberg News analysis.

The former Obama donors are helping the former Massachusetts governor lock up Wall Street dollars as Romney races to financially outpace primary rival Texas Governor Rick Perry in advance of the Sept. 30 third quarter deadline for campaign fundraising.

“It’s going to be very hard for the president to bash the rich and create jobs at the same time,” said Anthony Scaramucci, 47, founder and managing partner of New York-based Skybridge Capital LLC which manages $8 billion, who has switched support from Obama in 2008 to Romney. “I don’t think the country is about class warfare.”
[...]
Perry and Romney are holding competing fundraisers today, as they try to bank closing cash for reports that historically have established the candidate pecking order in the run-up to the early primaries or driven some hopefuls from the race.

● Romney will be at a fundraiser overlooking Central Park today:

Romney has scheduled a $2,500-a-head breakfast at the Essex House overlooking Central Park in New York City. It’s being organized by a host committee that includes top executives of Goldman Sachs Group, KKR & Co. LP and Blackstone Group LP. (BX) For $500, Romney supporters can attend a general reception after the breakfast.

Romney Recruit
Among the organizers of Romney’s event today is Scaramucci, who gave $4,600 to Obama in 2008.

“You need a turnaround specialist in Washington right now,” Scaramucci said in an interview. “You have to cut and cap the growth of the government, but at the same time you need to figure out a way to put the private and public sectors in balance to stimulate the economy. Governor Romney has done that.”

Scaramucci is one of at least 100 former Obama contributors who have given to Romney’s 2012 campaign, according to a Bloomberg analysis of data provided by the Center for Responsive Politics, a Washington-based research group that tracks political giving. They have helped Romney, founder of the Boston-based private equity firm Bain Capital LLC, raise $2.3 million from the securities industry sector, compared with $857,000 for Obama.

(emphasis added to articles ) Read the full article here.

There is still time to submit your $5 donations to the Romney campaign to win a chance to spend a day on the road with Mitt. (The third quarter fundraising deadline is Sept 30th. Candidates file reports on Oct 15th.) This is a fantastic, inexpensive opportunity to let The Gov know we support him. Who knows? One of you might be the lucky one chosen to spend a day campaigning with him! For information, click here.

UPDATE – Mitt Romney’s $1 million morning

Mitt Romney had a giant fundraiser this morning at the Essex House in Manhattan, with a host committee of over 100 people, as per the invite here.

The event has been a key one for Team Romney, with several sources saying it would play a role in cracking double digits for the quarter in a real way. It was, according to several people, a success, and one that snared more than $1 million.

► Jayde Wyatt