Mitt Romney leads all Republican presidential candidates in fund raising, and the former Massachusetts governor leads the GOP pack in dollars raised from Georgia.
Romney raised nearly $350,000 from Georgians over the three months beginning April 1, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.
Romney, who finished third in the 2008 Georgia Republican presidential primary, is also the leading GOP fund raiser overall, collecting more than $18.4 million for the quarter.
The two candidates with Georgia connections in the race for the Republican nomination, former business executive Herman Cain and former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, raised $250,000 and $315,000 respectively in Georgia.
Romney supporter Eric Tanenblatt, senior managing director at McKenna Long law firm, said Romney has built on his base of support here from 2008.
“It’s a little different dynamic this time because you have two Georgians in the race,” Tanenblatt said. “It’s a combination of building on the base that he started with and also, given the economic condition the country is in right now, people believe he is the right person for the job given his business background. Obviously we were pleased and there’s a lot of momentum for the governor.”
Romney also has support from high-profile Georgia business leaders, including Alec Fraser, president of Turner Properties; Michael Gearon, one of the owners of the Atlanta Spirit; and John Brock, chairman and CEO of Coca-Cola Enterprises.
In terms of Georgia support, Gingrich saw nearly 15 percent of his $2.1 million raised come from the state that launched his political career. Cain received 12 percent of his $2.1 million from Georgians.
“Mr. Cain is honored by the outpouring of support from his fellow Georgians for his presidential campaign,” Cain spokeswoman Ellen Carmichael said. “As a Georgia son, he takes pride in his roots here. Though much has changed in the last six months, Mr. Cain will never neglect his deep Georgia roots and he appreciates the loving support from those at home.”
Cain also loaned his campaign $500,000.
Gingrich spokesman R.C. Hammond said Georgians already know Gingrich's abilities and the rest of the country is catching on.
"Newt is the only candidate who can lead the country out of depression into prosperity," Hammond said. "It's been said you can judge someone by the friends they keep -- Newt has a lot of good friends in Georgia."
Gingrich's $315,000 raised in Georgia easily makes the state his top source of campaign cash; no other state provided him more than $125,000.
But Gingrich's campaign remains troubled. It is more than $1 million in debt (of which more than $185,000 is owed to Georgia interests) and reported having $322,000 in cash on hand as of June 30 -- last among all candidates except former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum.
By comparison, Romney has more than $12.7 million on hand. Cain is also getting low on funds, reporting only $482,000 remaining in his account.
Former GOP state Sen. Eric Johnson of Savannah, the Georgia co-chairman for Tim Pawlenty’s campaign, told supporters Saturday that the former Minnesota governor is on pace to compete as well.
“Gov. Pawlenty came in second place in Republican presidential fund-raising,” Johnson said in campaign email. “That's a big deal and a far cry from the narrative promoted in the press. The reality is that Michele Bachmann, Ron Paul, Jon Huntsman, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, Herman Cain and Mitt Romney all built infrastructures as early as the governor, and began organizing, yet only one raised more money and most raised far less.”
The one who raised more, of course, was Romney, who last visited Georgia in June. And Pawlenty, who made his first trip to Georgia as a candidate for a June 28 fund-raiser in Buckhead, raised only $91,000 of his $4.4 million for the quarter in Georgia. That’s just 2 percent of his total take, despite having the support of Johnson, the former Senate president pro tem, and former Gov. Sonny Perdue.
There is another candidate for president who outpaced all others both in terms of total money raised and contributions from the Peach State: President Barack Obama. The Democratic incumbent brought in more than $46 million nationally and more than $450,000 from Georgians.
"The recent numbers prove that President Obama has a significant base of financial support here in Georgia," said Democratic fundraiser Tim Alborg.
Raised and spent in Georgia
Candidate Spent Raised
Michelle Bachman: $222,402 $18,226
Herman Cain: $770,667 $246,989
Newt Gingrich: $269,155 $315,267
Barack Obama: $26,915 $453,215
Ron Paul: $1,765 $60,973
Tim Pawlenty: $29,127 $90,370
Mitt Romney: $37,035 $348,669
Rick Santorum: $460 $13,100
Source: Federal Election Commission
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