Romney's PAC spending highlights presidential preparations
BOSTON --Gov. Mitt Romney paid $500 to Elizabeth Smart, the Utah teen who endured being kidnapped by a religious zealot, after she played harp at one of his fundraisers, a detail in a new campaign finance report that highlights his preparations for a likely presidential run.
Smart, a fellow Mormon who was freed in 2003 after a nine-month abduction, received the money in April, according to the 166-page report, which outlines donations and expenditures through Nov. 27 for Romney's Commonwealth PAC. Romney has been using the political action committee to travel and build chits for a campaign, which he is expected to announce early next year.
The Massachusetts Republican took a weeklong fact-finding trip to Asia, which Romney paid for personally, and he was visiting California on Monday and Tuesday on PAC-financed trip.
"Certainly, I would support him, but I would not read anything into it," Edward Smart, Elizabeth's father, said of the harp performance during a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "One of the people on his staff called her up and asked her if she would come and play."
All told, Romney reported raising $2.7 million and spending $2.2 million in his federal PAC during the past two years. He also took advantage of his status as a nonfederal officeholder to set up affiliated committees in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Michigan and Alabama, allowing him to shower money on local candidates in those key electoral states.
Collectively, the state and federal PACs raised $8.75 million and gave away $1.3 million.
By comparison, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who has led polls among potential Republican presidential contenders, raised $7.4 million in his federal PAC and gave away about $1.5 million during the same span, according to his committee and his most recent report, which was filed in October. As a federal officeholder, McCain was banned from setting up state affiliates similar to Romney's.
Romney's federal committee report showed he gave $93,000 to House and Senate candidates -- all Republicans -- and received 513 donations of $200 or more, according to an analysis of his report by the Center for Responsive Politics, a Washington campaign finance watchdog.
Among his most prominent supporters -- each donating $5,000 -- were Bob White, his confidant and former Bain Capital colleague; Thomas Stemberg, the entrepreneur who Romney helped create Staples; local executives such as Thomas May of
Romney's expenditures also were revealing:
--$54,000 to Sentient Jet for private jet services.
--$50,000 to Theikos Inc. of Southborough for technical assistance in building a fundraising system.
--$40,000 to ENilsson LLC of Westford for Web design.
--$30,000 to Steve Roche of Waltham, the finance director for the Massachusetts Republican Party, for PAC-related finance assistance.
--$29,000 to Capital Campaigns of Sacramento, Calif., a political consultant whose past clients include the Democratic Party of Sacramento County.
--$25,000 to the Massachusetts Republican Party for licensing rights to a video it produced and aired before Romney took the stage at the Republican State Convention in Lowell in April. The governor is now playing the video -- stocked with photos the party bought for $100 from the state's official photographer -- before his political appearances.
--$10,500 to Logos to Go of Hingham, a firm that provides mementoes and other thank-you gifts to supporters.
--$4,750 per month for rent in Old City Hall, the PAC's current headquarters but which is about to be replaced with bigger offices on Commercial Street in the North End.
Romney has also been building his core group of advisers this year, hiring Spencer Zwick, his former personal aide and now the PAC's finance director; Sally Canfield, former aide House Speaker Dennis Hastert and now the committee's policy director; and Julie Teer, Romney's former gubernatorial press secretary and now the Commonwealth PAC's political director.
Zwick is being paid roughly $123,000 this year, while Canfield is being paid at a rate of $93,000 annually and Teer paid at a yearly rate of $75,000. In addition, Romney has had workers on retainer in the key electoral states of Iowa, South Carolina and Arizona for much of the year.
Romney also funneled his PAC money to House and Senate candidates in advance of his party's widespread losses in the midterm elections.
He gave $10,000 to Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, $3,000 to Michael Steele of Maryland and $3,000 to Sen. Jim Talent of Missouri, all losing Senate candidates. He also gave $5,500 to Rep. Charles Bass and $10,000 to Rep. Jeb Bradley, both New Hampshire Republicans who lost their re-election campaigns.
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EDITOR'S NOTE -- Glen Johnson has covered local, state and national politics since 1985. He can be reached at glenjohnson(at)ap.org.
