After his win in Illinois on Tuesday, Mitt Romney is looking to convince Republicans around the country that he’s their ultimate nominee.
But despite his lead in the delegate count, Romney continues to lag behind his rivals in raising money from so-called small-dollar donors, supporters who donate less than $200. Donations from people who contributed less than $200 — often viewed as a gauge of popular appeal — are filed as “unitemized” donations with the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
FEC filings on Tuesday showed Romney’s campaign has so far raised $7.5 million from small donors, which comprises only 10 percent of his fundraising. That proportion has roughly remained the same throughout the campaign.
Rick Santorum, who is struggling to undermine Romney’s lead, has by contrast received $8.1 million, or 52 percent of his fundraising, from donors who gave less than $200.
Santorum, who campaigns as a conservative alternative to Romney, often seeks to contrast his popularity among rural, blue-collar voters with Romney’s appeal to urban Republicans and the business community.
