Gingrich Has Been Busy Raising Money for Candidates

Newt Gingrich gets around. Around the country, around the political scene, and, significantly, around the fundraising circuit.

Gingrich will soon announce the formation of a presidential exploratory committee, and he plans to announce in March whether he will follow through with a run for president. If he does so, he isn't expected to have too much trouble raising money for his campaign.

In the 2010 election cycle, Gingrich busied himself raising a total of $336,945 for candidates around the country.

That's significant, but not as much as some other 2012 contenders. Sarah Palin, for instance, donated $509,000 to federal candidates in 2009 and 2010 through her PAC. Mitt Romney donated $830,306 through his.

Here's a list of Gingrich's fundraising activity, done in 2009 and 2010 through his American Solutions PAC, provided by a spokesman. 10 of the 27 candidates won and are now serving in the House; Gingrich backed three winning Senate candidates--Scott Brown (Mass.), Kelly Ayotte (N.H.), and Ron Johnson (Wisc.). Only two of the 14 losing candidates, Brad Zaun and Linda Upmeyer, appear to be serving in lower elected office--both as members of the Iowa state Senate.

Direct Donations from American Solutions PAC:

Brad Zaun             $1,000
Charles Djou          $1,000
Jesse Kelley          $2,500
Mick Mulvaney         $1,000
Princilla Smith       $1,000
Rick Tubbs            $1,000
Scott Brown           $1,000
Tim Burns             $1,000
Tim Scott             $1,000
Nikki Haley           $3,500
Linda Upmeyer         $5,000
House Majority      $100,000
  Fund
Brenna Findley        $2,500

Combined Small-Dollar Donations Raised for Candidates:

Allen West           $16,669
Austin Scott         $10,221
Ben Lange            $11,019
Brad Zuan            $11,136
Dino Rossi           $23,489
Jesse Kelly          $12,071
Jon Barela            $7,318
Kelly Ayotte         $17,945
Kristi Noem           $9,434
Mariannette          $11,104
  Miller-Meeks
Mike Keown            $6,823
Randy Demmer         $11,984
Ron Johnson          $18,134
Sean Duffy            $7,683
Steve Palazzo         $7,108
Todd Young            $7,458
Van Tran             $13,508
Mick Mulvaney        $12,301