On the night of Mitt’s huge Florida victory, his team launched a moneybomb aimed at making Obama a one-term president, appropriately called the “One Term Fund.”

You can tell this perturbed the Obama folks [is this the general election already?] who within 24 hours set up TwoTermFund.com [I refuse to link to it] and told their minions that Mitt Romney was out to replace their master. This evolved into a all out battle between thew two camps. Much of the back and forth took place on twitter and in emails to their respective donor lists (see tweets below).

The battle continues & Mitt needs your help!

The fact that Obama’s team is even engaging with Mitt this long before the general election shows you how afraid these chumps are of our man, Mitt. We need to step up and offer some backup. Everyone please reach into your wallet, and send some support to our guy!

And please let everyone know that the President of the United States has singled Mitt Romney out and started an all out war with the people that want him out of office!

DONATE NOW TO HELP MAKE OBAMA A ONE TERM PRESIDENT!

From the beginning, our campaign was organized in a way that would allow us to compete in every state across the nation — not just the early primaries and caucuses. Our message is one that appeals to all Americans, and our candidate has the discipline and endurance to work hard until the very last vote is cast.

But to make it all happen, we rely on the generous donations of our grassroots supporters.

Did you know that when you contribute $10 you are effectively supplying the campaign with 30 door hangers? What about a $100 donation? That’s enough to cover the cost of 250 mail pieces.

When you donate to Mitt’s campaign, you’re donating with a purpose.

Florida votes in just three days. Here are several ways you can immediately help our ground team in their effort to mobilize voters:

• Donate $10 to cover the cost of 30 door hangers, which help voters learn about Mitt’s stance on the issues.

• Donate $25 to cover the cost of 30 yard signs, which will be placed in front of homes and businesses in Tampa

• Donate $50 to help cover the cost of hosting a tele-town hall with Mitt and Florida voters.

• Donate $100 to help cover the cost of 250 mailers that remind Florida voters to return their absentee ballot.

• Donate $250 to help fuel Mitt’s campaign bus as he travels across Florida.

• Donate $500 to help cover airfare for Mitt and Ann to campaign around Florida.

Newt Gingrich announced this morning that he would be taking the weekend off in order to “pace” himself. So what will Newt be doing this weekend? He has a book signing scheduled in Virginia and then he will be attending his wife’s French horn concert. The only event Newt has scheduled is a tele-townhall Sunday evening. 

With voting in Iowa being a mere 17 days away, it seems an odd time to take a weekend off. One would think that Newt, given his falling poll numbers, would be working feverishly (like the other candidates) to solidify his support and build a strong organization as we head into voting season. Apparently that’s not Newt’s top priority.

The question has been hinted at before by large media outlets but none have just come out and said it, “Does Gingrich even want to be president?” Or perhaps more appropriately, “Does Gingrich have the ‘fire in the belly’ to run for president and take on Obama in the fall?” Remember, Obama is going to have almost one billion dollars of campaign funds at his disposal to defeat the Republican challenger. Conservatives will need a highly motivated, energized and passionate candidate to challenge Obama.

Last summer Newt’s entire staff resigned in protest because, according to them, “Newt wasn’t taking running for president seriously.” Newt had disappeared for a week prior to the resignations and no one in his staff knew where Gingrich had gone. Only when Gingrich returned did they learn that Newt had been gone for a week on a luxury cruise through the Greek Isles with his wife. Understandably, Newt’s staff was furious at the candidate’s disregard for his own campaign. The staff later claimed that Newt seemed more concerned about selling books and DVD’s than running for president. 

The New York Times recently wrote of the experience saying:
Read more…

Romney was hardly alone in wooing Singer — every serious presidential candidate had hoped for his support, and met with him in the hopes of getting it.

Rick Perry was among them — he sat down with Singer, along with cosmetics heir Ron Lauder and Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations head Malcolm Hoenlein in New York City last month, at a private meeting that focused largely on Israel, sources familiar with the discussion said.

But Singer is among a relatively small number of bundlers who aggressively tap their lists for a candidate. He’s become known as a “fundraising terrorist” for his focus and arm-twisting. And he serves as something of a signal for other donors as to who they should support.

Christie was still in his personal deliberations last Friday when Romney made a quiet trip back to New York, off the campaign trail. One of his meetings was with Singer. They spoke about a range of topics, including the European economy crumbling and the impact and the impact on U.S. economy, a source close to Romney who was familiar with the discussion said.

They spoke Tuesday, when Romney reached out to Singer shortly after Christie said at a televised press conference that he would skip the 2012 race.

They spoke again Wednesday morning, and the commitment was sealed.

Singer will now be moving to help Romney in three ways, a source close to Romney familiar with the plan said. He’ll play a leadership role in the campaign’s fundraising efforts, and will hold a large fundraiser for the campaign in the fourth quarter — a quick statement that will get people organized and will be aimed at getting people who’ve been holdouts hoping for a Christie run to open their checkbooks.

After that initial goal, he’ll work to get them to bundle for Romney. The goal will be to systematically recruit people still on the sidelines and bring them into the Romney fold.

And he’ll play an informal policy adviser role on economics, the source said.

Watch an endorsement Mitt just got from Hawaii below the fold. Read more…

Gov Chris Christie’s lunch for Romney serves up the loot…

Christie fans boo$t Romney
By Carl Campanile
Updated: 10:19 AM, November 2, 2011

Thank you, Gov. Chris Christie.

The top New York financial boosters of the pugnacious New Jersey governor helped raise $375,000 for Mitt Romney’s campaign during a lunch at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel yesterday.

The donors — including billionaire Ken Langone and former NYSE chief Richard Grasso — initially backed a Christie bid for the White House but switched to Romney when Christie declined to run.

Romney even got some pinstripe love. Yankee President Randy Levine was one of the 140 donors kicking in $2,500 to help the former governor of Massachusetts, the home of Red Sox Nation.

(emphasis added )

Christie said he was going to start generating cash for Romney.

He’s a man of his word.

He’ll be hosting another fundraiser for The Gov on December 12th.

H/t Paulee

► Jayde Wyatt

This is going to be one mighty fine Christmas present for Mitt Romney…

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, is hosting a fundraiser for Governor Romney on December 12th.

Christie, who endorsed Gov Romney on Oct 11th, said he was going to do all within his power to elect Mitt. This will be a big help (and you know Christie’s fundraiser is going to be a good time!):

TRENTON — Now that he has given his endorsement, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie will start generating some cash for GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

Christie is holding a fundraiser for the former Massachusetts governor on Dec. 12.

According to an invitation obtained by The Associated Press, tickets for the event, which is being held at the Hilton in Parsippany, range from $500 for general admission to between $2,500 and $25,000 for VIPs.
[...]
It is the first fundraiser that Christie has held since endorsing Romney earlier this month.

Romney endorsed Christie when the former U.S. attorney ran for governor in 2009. And in January, he became the first Republican presidential contender to visit Christie at the governor’s mansion in Princeton.

Maggie Haberman (Politico) reports:

The event’s host committee is asking each person on that roster to rustle up 10 people to donate the maximum $2,500.

Christie answers questions at a press conference about his Romney endorsement (video by Brian Donohue/The Star-Ledger):

Those two make quite a team…

If you haven’t done so, click here to check out Gov Christie’s facebook page.

► Jayde Wyatt

It’s the Hawkeye State for Mitt today!

Today, Governor Romney began his full schedule in Iowa by kicking things off with a town hall meeting at Morningside College in Sioux City. He spoke to approximately 200 people, including the 50 or so lined the walls of the Olsen Student Center after the chairs filled up:

And at a town hall meeting on the campus of Morningside College in Sioux City, the former Massachusetts governor was pressed on his commitment to the leadoff caucus state.

A questioner said he was disappointed with the “vitriol” and “hyperbole” from the other GOP candidates and pointedly asked Romney: “Are you here in Iowa today, and is your campaign here in Iowa today to finally give the people of Iowa an alternative to that?”

“Yes,” Romney responded.

“I want to get the support of Iowans,” he added. “I am in Iowa, this not my first trip to Iowa as you know. And I will be here again and again.”

Romney is at or near the top of polls in Iowa despite only making two trips to the state this year. That’s a departure from his 2008 campaign, when he staked his candidacy on a win here.

“I would love to win in Iowa, any of us would,” Romney said. “So I will campaign here. I intend to campaign in all the early states at least, maybe all the states at some point.”

To view video of Romney’s townhall meeting, click here. or here

Romney is also hosting a lunchtime roundtable meeting at Treynor State Bank in Treynor and later this afternoon, The Gov will hold a meet-and-greet at the Council Bluffs Chamber of Commerce in Council Bluffs.

Iowa! Good to hear The Gov is there… and then he’s on to the Cornhusker State.

He will attend another fundraiser this evening from 5:00-7:00 at the Embassy Suites Downtown in Omaha, Nebraska. It will be hosted by Governor Dave Heineman, Bruce Lauritzen and Hal Daub. Gov Heineman, recently selected to be Chairman of the National Governors Association, endorsed Romney back in June:

“I believe he [Romney] was a good governor, a good Republican governor in a very Democrat state, which is very different than being a Republican governor in a Republican state or a Democrat governor in a Democrat state.”

(emphasis added )

► Jayde Wyatt

UPDATE: Once the ethanol subsidy expires in December, Mitt Romney won’t support renewing it.

A look at third quarter GOP candidates’ fundraising…

Romney for President has announced it has raised more than $32 million so far in the primary. The campaign raised $14.16 million in the third quarter, and more than $18 million for the second. This total represents only primary contributions as the campaign did not raise general election funds. In 2007, Romney collected $10 million for the third quarter reporting period.

Romney for President National Finance Chairman Spencer Zwick said, “We are proud of the $32 million we have raised for the campaign so far. This is just the start of the effort to help fuel Mitt Romney’s message that will defeat President Obama next November.”

FAST FACTS About Romney For President’s Third Quarter Fundraising:

• Total amount raised in primary contributions for the year: $32.49 Million
• Amount raised in third quarter primary contributions: $14.16 Million
• Amount raised in primary contributions in the second quarter: $18 Million
• Cash on hand: $14.65 Million
• Number of contributors in third quarter: 55,947
• Increase in total donors form second quarter: 73%
• Percent of contributions less than $250 In the third quarter: 83%
• Contributions received from all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
• No general election money collected
• Mitt Romney did not make a personal loan

GOP presidential candidates third quarter fundraising ending Oct 15, 2011 (click on name for full report):

Texas Gov Rick Perry
Total contributions this period: $17,200,232
Total expenditures: $2,121,817
Cash on hand: $15,078,415
Debts and obligations: $339,120

Former MA Gov Mitt Romney
Total contributions this period: $14,222,571
Total expenditures: $12,281,100
Cash on hand: $14,656,966
Debts and obligations: $0

Texas U.S. Rep Ron Paul
Total contributions this period: $8,268,500
Total expenditures: $7,559,909
Cash on hand: $3,674,768
Debts and obligations: $0

MN U.S. Rep Michele Bachmann
Total contributions this period: $3,907,748
Total expenditures: $5,947,631
Cash on hand: $1,339,184
Debts and obligations: $549,604

Herman Cain
Total contributions this period: $2,813,341
Total expenditures: $1,967,152
Cash on hand: $1,333,778
Debts and obligations: $675,000

Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich
Total contributions this period: $807,962
Total expenditures: $776,768
Cash on hand: $353,417
Debts and obligations: $1,192,865

Former PA U.S. Sen Rick Santorum
Total contributions this period: $704,199
Total expenditures: $743,757
Cash on hand: $189,556
Debts and obligations: $71,866

Former UT Gov. Jon Huntsman
Total contributions this period: $4,514,189
Total expenditures: $4,186,574
Cash on hand: $327,614
Debts and obligations: $3,145,594

Fundraising details from The Washington Post:

Texas Gov. Rick Perry relied heavily on large donors and money from his home state to fund his bid for the Republican presidential nomination, a new fundraising report shows.
[...]
Perry’s total puts him at the top of the Republican field in fundraising, but his reliance on maxed-out donors who are legally prohibited from contributing more means it will require a lot of work to continue raising money in light of the candidate’s recent collapse in the polls.
[...]
Businessman Herman Cain’s campaign raised $2.8 million in the quarter, including a $175,000 personal loan to his campaign, according to his disclosure report.
[...]
Altogether Paul raised $8.3 million, including a $500,000 transfer from his congressional campaign, according to a new filing. He spent the money almost as fast as he took it in, with $7.5 million in expenditures.

How did President Obama do?

Obama raised $43 million for his campaign and another $27 million for the Democratic National Committee. That’s one of the best quarters on record for an off year and, counting just the money for his campaign, well more than twice as much as any Republican candidate.

Obama’s team continues to show a knack for raising big bucks. Even as independents and key donor groups (like Wall Street) have wandered away from the president and his base grows unhappy, he’s still finding plenty of ways to raise money. And lots of it.

(emphasis added)

► Jayde Wyatt

Palin – OUT.

Christie – OUT.

In just 48 hours, the GOP primary race has dramatically changed.

For Mitt Romney, rockets are taking off:

Many activists, donors, and bundlers are now backing The Gov.

Romney Signing Up Leading Republican Donors

By Nicholas Confessore
October 6, 2011

With the Republican presidential lineup largely settled and little prospect of new candidates entering the race, some of the Republican Party’s leading donors and activists have begun to come off the sidelines.

CAMPAIGN CASH
News and analysis on campaign fund-raising.

Many of them are picking Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, who has avidly courted Wall Street. In the last 48 hours Mr. Romney has personally called some of the party’s top uncommitted donors and “bundlers” to persuade them to join his team, focusing on those who had held out hope for a White House bid by Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey.

One of Mr. Romney’s latest and most high-profile recruits is James B. Lee Jr., vice chairman of the JPMorgan Chase and a Christie fan, according to two people with knowledge of Mr. Lee’s discussions with the Romney campaign. Mr. Lee raised over $500,000 for Senator John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign and has been among the most sought-after Republican donors in the country.

Mr. Lee joins two other JPMorgan executives on Mr. Romney’s finance team: Frank J. Bisignano, the firm’s chief admimistrative officer and head of mortgage banking, who will host a December event in New York for Mr. Romney with other JP Morgan executives; and Mary Callahan Erdoes, the head of JPMorgan Chase’s asset management unit, those people said.

Mr. Romney has also picked up the support of two financiers who once supported President Obama: Daniel S. Loeb and Clifford S. Asness, both of them prominent and outspoken hedge fund managers who have emerged in recent months with sharp criticism of the president and his fiscal or regulatory policies. (Mr. Loeb was among Mr. Obama’s bundler corps in 2008.)

Another top recruit is Paul Singer, a hedge fund billionaire who is one of the Republican Party’s most sought-after donors and supporters.

(emphasis added )

Yesterday, within hours of learning Christie definitely was not running for president, Home Depot co-founder and billionaire Ken Langone also backed Romney.

Off we go!

► Jayde Wyatt

After Chris Christie declared in a news conference today that he will NOT be a candidate for president, it appears that the GOP presidential field is settled. At least according to some remaining big bundlers…

They’re ready to back Mitt Romney:

By Reid Pillifant
Oct 4, 2011

“A lot of us who normally would have been in this presidential race a long time ago, have been waiting for Christie to make a decision,” said Georgette Mosbacher, a Republican uber-fund-raiser and finance co-chair of the Republican National Committee who was among a group of Republican bundlers hoping to convince Christie to enter the race. “I think tomorrow, we’ll be contacting one another and probably put something together with Romney.”

“I’m going to go with Mitt Romney,” said John Catsimatidis, another donor who had been intrigued with Christie, in a brief phone interview this afternoon.

“You’re calling about yesterday’s news,” said Catsimatidis, who said he had gotten the indication Christie wouldn’t run from some of the governor’s advisers yesterday.

Catsimatidis said he had started pitching Romney in the last couple weeks, on the expectation the governor wouldn’t seek the nomination. At a meeting with other conservatives last Monday night, Catsimatidis said, he made the pitch for Romney’s electability.

“The speech I gave to my conservative friends was, if you pick somebody who makes you 100 percent happy, you only get 47 percent against Obama,” said Catsimatidis. “We have to capture the middle in order to win and make a change in this country. Ninety percent of them stood up and said, ‘You’re right.’”

Mosbacher conceded there was “some disappointment” at Christie’s decision, but said the public flirtation with Christie wouldn’t make it tougher to raise for Romney, especially with Texas governor Rick Perry suddenly slipping in the polls after a couple of disastrous debate performances.

“Look, we’ll raise the money that’s necessary to beat Obama,” she said. “It’s not going to be any harder than it would have been a month ago, or two months ago, or six months ago. Now it’s pretty clear. Perry has dropped pretty quickly. And I would say that the race is now Romney and Obama. … [O]ur first and foremost goal is to defeat Obama. And we do believe Romney, in terms of independents, will be a strong candidate. We will coalesce behind him now.”

Mosbacher said the big bundlers in her circle “do not consider a Perry factor.”
[...]
Catsimatidis said his level of involvement would depend on what the Romney campaign asks of him, but he expected to be more involved than simply cutting a check.

Mosbacher said she would be on the phone for Romney as soon as the Christie decision becomes official.

“The time has come. With the primaries being moved up, the time has come to get behind him,” she said.
[...]
“Tomorrow I’ll be on the phone all day,” Mosbacher told me today.

“Quite frankly, it’ll be easier, because now we know who it is who will be our nominee,” she added. “So we will pull our Rolodexes out and get to work.”

(emphasis added ) Continue reading here.

► Jayde Wyatt