Romney says he will help finance campaign

Mitt Romney, asserting that he fully intends to tap his personal fortune to fund his presidential bid, said today that he had written another check to his campaign this quarter and may do so again before the quarter ends on Saturday.

Romney, who loaned himself $2.4 million early this year to help launch his campaign, said he felt compelled to contribute again this quarter because he needed to run TV ads and campaign around the country to broaden his name recognition. Romney said he started out as an "underdog" to his better-known competitors, Senator John McCain of Arizona and former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani.

"It would be nice not to have to loan or contribute to your own campaign, but the reality is if you want to have a strong campaign that gets out there and can talk across the nation, you're going to have to do what's necessary," Romney said at a news conference at the TD Banknorth Garden, where he's assembled supporters for a day-long fund-raising marathon. "One of the things I've had to do that you don't have to do if your name is McCain or Giuliani is introduce myself [to voters]."

Romney declined to say how much he had chipped in already this quarter and said he wasn't sure if his check would end up being a loan or a gift. The amount will be disclosed when Romney, like all candidates for the presidency, files his second-quarter finance figures with the Federal Election Commission by July 15.

The revelation of another check from Romney came as a surprise, as Romney had declared at a similar fund-raising event in Boston in January that it would be "akin to a nightmare" if he were forced to self-fund his campaign. His campaign later revealed that at the time Romney said that, he had already loaned himself the $2.4 million.

Asked to square his more recent contributions with his "nightmare" comment, Romney said, "It is a nightmare." Asked why he was doing it, he said, "Because I have to, alright? My message is important and critical to get out into this country."

Romney said he had already spent $3 million on advertising in five states, though media reports have suggested he's spent more. He said he would continue writing himself checks.

"I recognize that when you're the underdog, not terribly well-known, you have to try harder," he said. "And that's meant that I need to contribute, as well as others, to this effort."