Romney y el RNC forman un comité conjunto para acelerar la recaudación

The Wall Street Journal:

In a move that shows Republicans are coalescing around the party's front-runner, Mitt Romney plans to begin raising money jointly with the Republican National Committee this week as both the candidate and the GOP brace for an expensive general-election fight against President Barack Obama.

The arrangement will allow top donors to write checks as large as $75,000 per person, by giving to party organizations in addition to the campaign. That's far more than the $2,500 ceiling that applies to individual donations to a presidential candidate for the fall election.

The move reflects a general clamor within the party to begin amassing the funds needed to compete with Mr. Obama's fundraising operation, Romney and RNC advisers said. "Our donors are ready to mobilize for November," said Andrea Saul, a Romney spokesperson. For the Republican nominee to be able to compete with the president's re-election effort, "they need to get started now."

Acknowledging that the nomination fight isn't over, the RNC also invited other candidates to participate in joint fundraising, but with little expectation they would agree, RNC officials said. A spokesman for Newt Gingrich said he didn't plan to work alongside the RNC. Rick Santorum's campaign said they had no plans to join forces, but "would be happy to raise money with the RNC." Ron Paul's campaign declined comment. It makes little sense for challengers scrapping for cash in the primaries to ask donors to give large sums to the party, GOP operatives said.

(...) Top Republican officials have decided they no longer want to wait around for an official nominee. Creating a joint committee allows donors to give to several pro-Romney efforts at once. In addition to $2,500 each that can be donated to Mr. Romney's primary and general-election campaigns, donors can contribute up to $30,800 to the RNC, which will spend those funds in the fall campaign against Mr. Obama.

Donors also could contribute up to $10,000 to state-level Republican parties in key presidential battleground states, such as Ohio, Florida, Virginia, North Carolina and Nevada, to spend locally to help the Republican presidential candidate. (They can't give more than $40,000 to state parties if they have donated $30,800 to the RNC.)

The arrangement allows donations that could top $75,000 per person. Couples can write a single check of double that amount.