Mitt Romney Raises $10.25 Million Dollars In Las Vegas

Mitt Romney has raised an impressive $10.25 million in his single national campaign fundraising effort.  Poll numbers are one thing, but the ability to raise that much cash demonstrates how strongly people across the country feel about Mitt Romney: 

"We are overwhelmed by the outpouring of support for Governor Romney's campaign," said Romney's finance chair Spencer Zwick. "The results are a strong indication of the national enthusiasm for Governor Romney and his pro-jobs platform.

"As today's event makes clear, Governor Romney will have the resources to be competitive and to spread his jobs and economy message," added Zwick.

Dubbed "The National Call Day" by Romney's staff, 700 to 800 supporters gathered at the Las Vegas Convention Center, "in a space the size of two football fields," and placed calls around the country throughout the day to generate financial support. Romney also met with the volunteers and even had the event broadcast on his Facebook page.

People from all walks of life and backgrounds came into Las Vegas to rally behind Mitt Romney. Many people took long road trips or plane rides so that they could be at this historic event. Not only were regular folks there to support Mitt Romney but lots of famous people were there like Cindy Crawford, Olympic speed skater Dan Jansen, Meg Whitman and  New York Jets owner Woody Johnson were all there to support Mitt Romney.

With that kind of amount of money raised in a single day, other Republican 2012 candidates and President Obama will face an uphill battle to match the kind of money that Mitt can raise:

He wants to emerge from the fundraising quarter that ends June 30 having far outraised his rivals, and displaying financial fortitude in hopes that Republicans will choose him to challenge President Barack Obama. The Democrat shattered fundraising records in 2008 and could raise as much as $1 billion for his re-election campaign.

Ron Paul might be up to the challenge to raise more money than Mitt but no other candidate could raise that kind of cash in a single day. Moreover, this sends a strong signal to President Barak Obama that Mitt Romney intends to stay competitive against him financially and that he has the war chest that will allow him to defeat Obama in 2012.  

However, Mitt Romney hasn't decided on whether or not he will use his own personal  funds to finance the campaign: 

Mitt Romney, while clearly buoyed by the $10.25 million his supporters raised today, is nonetheless not ready to rule out what could become another potent financial weapon in his all-but-certain presidential run: tapping into his own personal wealth.

“That’s counsel I’m going to keep with Ann and myself, and that’s all,” he said, referring to his wife. “So I can’t give you any more update than that. We’re just going to keep that to our own counsel.”

The decision could be significant, not only on Romney's pocketbook but also on the contours of the race. During the former Massachusetts governor’s 2008 presidential campaign, he used $42 million of his own funds. One of Romney’s potential rivals -- Jon Huntsman, Jr., who comes from a wealthy family – has already ruled out self-financing his campaign.

Mitt Romney's large campaign war chest is a force to be reckoned with in 2012. Raising money is Mitt Romney's strength and if he becomes the Republican nominee to face Obama, he's the only candidate who can pose a serious challenge him financially since Obama plans to raise at least a billion in campaign funds.