Report: Romney donors giving more to outside group

[October 05, 2011]  TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) -- More than 50 donors who contributed the maximum amount to Mitt Romney's official presidential campaign often gave much more cash to an outside group supportive of his White House run.

A new analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics, Democracy 21 and the Campaign Legal Center found many of those donors contributed as much as $1 million to the Restore Our Future super PAC -- far more than the $2,500 donors are allowed to give directly to Romney's official campaign.

Campaign watchdogs have assailed the shift of big money to the new PACs, but the groups say they're exercising their rights under a 2010 Supreme Court ruling known as Citizens United.

The new super PACs can raise unlimited amounts of money and are becoming major players in the 2012 race.

[Associated Press; By JACK GILLUM]

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