Trump’s deep pockets could leave the GOP empty-handed

“It’s a real dilemma he’s created,” said Vin Weber, a former member of Congress who advised the presidential campaigns of Bob Dole, George W. Bush, and Mitt Romney. “A lot of the people who would raise money for the party are not big Trump fans,” Weber said.

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Under campaign finance laws, there are no legal limits on how much Trump can give or loan his White House bid, and, according to his campaign, he has about $600 million in liquid assets.

“The real concern is that he might not write the check,” said Weber, leaving the party short of funds…

After winning the Republican nomination in April 2012, Romney and his surrogates raised $142 million for the Republican National Committee in a seven-month stretch, all from donors giving no more than $30,800, then the maximum contribution an individual could give to a political party committee. Romney’s failed bid for the White House cost a total of $1.14 billion.

The RNC ended up spending $386 million to help Romney in 2012, about $50 million more than the former Massachusetts governor’s own campaign spent. That included more than $65 million on television advertising, and tens of millions more developing and maintaining voter lists, get-out-the-vote campaigns, direct mail operations, and other expenditures. The party also supported Republican candidates for federal office and distributed money to its state affiliates. This year, as of Jan. 31, the RNC had $18 million in the bank.

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