Romney's PAC Wheels and Deals

The 2012 presidential race is being played out, financially, through PACs, the political organizations that allow figures like Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney, and Tim Pawlenty to raise money, donate to candidates, and pay for their own travel. Romney's PAC, it appears, is thriving, with a bigger fundraising haul in the past quarter than Palin's organization, donations to many candidates, and activity in key primary states. Sean Miller and Shane D'Aprile at The Hill have a good rundown:

Romney's money haul stands out. His Free and Strong America political action committee, and five other state PACs, have raised more than $1.8 million combined in the second quarter and doled out nearly $350,000 to Republican campaigns and causes. In all, the PAC has given to more than 150 campaigns in 2010. Romney has donated to more than 70 congressional candidates, 13 U.S. Senate candidates and nine gubernatorial campaigns. 

He has also given to 60 state legislative candidates: 34 from Georgia, 20 from South Carolina and three from New Hampshire.

Romney has donated heavily to candidates in the early presidential voting states, including $42,000 to Nikki Haley in South Carolina and $20,000 to Terry Branstad in Iowa. He even made two donations to members of the Greenville, S.C. County Council.

In New Hampshire, Romney has also donated $30,000 to the state GOP since 2009 and $7,500 to local and state special-election candidates.

Read the full story at The Hill.