Paul, Gingrich and Santorum all have raised more than half of their money from small donors. Romney’s campaign, by contrast, has brought in just 12 percent of its total from contributors giving less than $200 at a time.
Romney is raising even less from small donors than he did during his 2008 effort. In that campaign, 25 percent of his fundraising came from those supporters, according to a Washington Post analysis of federal filings.
A Romney aide dismissed the idea that the former Massachusetts governor lacks small-dollar contributors, citing internal figures showing that 105,723 people have given $250 or less to the campaign.
Besides being a sign of enthusiasm among average Americans, small donors are an important source of money for campaigns. That’s even more true now, during the heat of the primary season, when the candidates have less time to travel to host events that bring in bigger checks.
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