Romney gets campaign boost from out of state

Governor Mitt Romney, whose critics accuse him of spending too much time traveling the country to raise his national profile, reaped nearly $220,000 in campaign donations from beyond the Bay State's borders last year, campaign account records show.

The checks, which represent 14 percent of the governor's campaign cash, came in as Romney made several public appearances promoting an autobiography, stumping for President Bush, and criticizing Senator John F. Kerry.

But the money was also a product of the many private fund-raisers Romney held on those journeys, as well as a $750,000 direct mail blitz that asked Republicans from coast to coast to help his efforts against Democrats in Massachusetts.

''I received something in the mail talking about him running against the Democrats in liberal Massachusetts," said Shirley Gallimore of Bonita Springs, Fla., who mailed Romney a $15 check last February. ''I just received a couple of letters in the last month or two from the Romney campaign. One was a letter written by his wife Ann talking about the mess in Massachusetts. And I'm very anti-Ted Kennedy," she said, referring to the state's senior US senator.

In recent speeches outside of Massachusetts, Romney has distanced himself from the liberal politics of the Bay State and equated his status as a Massachusetts Republican to a ''cattle rancher at a vegetarian convention" -- comments that fueled speculation that the governor will abandon the corner office and run for the White House in 2008.

But one of the fund-raising letters paid for by Romney's campaign committee, which is signed by his wife, Ann, tells prospective donors that his jokes about Massachusetts belie deep frustration.

''He jokes about it, but I know it's hard for him to be one of the lone Republicans on Beacon Hill. That's why he enjoys hearing from his ardent supporters," it says. ''As you know, Mitt is up for reelection next year and will face tough opposition. That's why we need to build up his campaign fund."

The governor's 2004 campaign finance reports show that 927 donors from 39 states and Washington, D.C., supported him last year, with checks ranging from $1 to the maximum $500, for a total of $217,379. His out-of-state appeal seems to be growing. In 2002, 8 percent of Romney's campaign cash came from outside Massachusetts, and in 2003, it was 11 percent, reports show.

Although Romney is a Republican, the states that lavished the most cash on him last year were not alled ''red" states like South Carolina or Missouri, where the governor addressed GOP crowds last month. Rather, they were states that supported Kerry in the 2004 presidential election.

Romney's largest out-of-state base of support last year was in California, where residents donated more than $27,000 to the Bay State governor's coffers. About $19,000 of that poured in at a fund-raiser Romney held while he was in the Golden State on a mission he billed as a sales trip to lure biotechnology companies to Massachusetts.

After California came Maryland with about $24,000, New Hampshire with roughly $21,000, and Rhode Island and New York with more than $18,000 each. All went for Kerry.

''He's a conservative, a man who has values and has the ability to win votes from both parties in a state that's heavily Democratic, he was able to be elected governor there, and had a good run against Ted Kennedy," said Ralph Muhlestein, a recently retired accountant from Whittier, Calif., who gave Romney $50 in September. ''That's the kind of man I like to support."

Romney this year has delivered speeches to Republican audiences in Missouri, Utah, and South Carolina. In addition, he attended a series of meetings and fund-raisers recently in Washington, D.C., and will soon address the Michigan state Senate's annual dinner.

His out-of-state traveling last year sparked criticism from Democrats in Massachusetts because Romney spent more than a month-and-a-half on the road, including trips to the Super Bowl, various governor's association meetings, a host of Bush campaign stops, and speeches before the Gridiron Club, the National Press Club, and the Heritage Foundation.

A major source of Romney's travels last year was his book, ''Turnaround," which focused on his experiences running the the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Winter Games. Romney also traveled to Athens during last summer's Olympic Games to receive an award.

The out-of-state donations went to Romney's reelection account, one of five accounts he has established over the last two years.

Last month, the Globe reported that Romney's network includes the Commonwealth PAC, which distributed money to politicians in 16 states last year, the Republican Governors Association campaign account, which Romney will help control when 36 states have governor's races next year, two state Republican Party accounts, and Romney's personal campaign account.

Together, the five accounts linked to Romney raised about $6.6 million in 2004, a total that includes about $1 million in Massachusetts-based donations that went into the multimillion-dollar Republican Governors Association account.

Philip W. Johnston, chairman of the Massachusetts Democratic Party, said Romney's vigorous out-of-state fund-raising, combined with his repeated national appearances, can only mean one thing: ''He's leaving Massachusetts behind."

''He's obviously developing a national fund-raising strategy to help bankroll a national campaign," Johnston said, noting that money collected in Romney's state campaign account can be used for a run for federal office.

But Tim O'Brien, executive director of the Republican Party, said much of the uptick in Romney's out-of-state contributions may have resulted from an aggressive direct mail operation that was intended to do just what it said: help Romney defeat Democrats in Massachusetts.

''The goal was simply to build the donor file," O'Brien said. ''That's what good politicians do."

O'Brien insisted that Romney did not ''prospect" for new donors via direct mail, but rather focused such efforts on prior donors from Massachusetts and around the country, including many who supported him when he ran against Kennedy for US Senate in 1994.

As the governor increases his name recognition outside the state, there has been little apparent backlash among voters at home, a recent survey indicated.

A poll conducted in January by the University of Massachusetts found that 45 percent of those surveyed believed that Romney's out-of-state travel ''helped" Massachusetts, while 39 percent said it ''hurt" the state. Those figures were nearly reversed from a September 2004 poll.

''I think that Massachusetts has gotten accustomed to its major officeholders seeking national office," said Lou DiNatale, director of the Center for Economic and Civic Opinion, which conducted the poll.

''It's almost a given that a governor or senator is running for president. The assumption is, to be in contention is a good thing for the state, so in that regard, people would encourage Romney. The unique aspect of this is for him to attack the state's dominant political culture nationally. Usually, the Democratic politicians went out there saying they had paid their dues and delivered for the state."

Raphael Lewis can be reached at rlewis@globe.com.