Mitt Romney has spread a lot of campaign money around Capitol Hill over the years, but the returns have been very mixed if they are to be measured by senators and representatives endorsing the former Massachusetts governor for president, according to the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP).
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has done the same thing and gotten even less encouraging results.
“Three weeks out from the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses, 51 sitting members of Congress have endorsed GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney — 45 of whom received campaign donations from Romney in earlier years,” according to CRP.
“Collectively, these lawmakers have received $163,620 from Romney’s leadership PACs since the 2004 election — or about $3,636 per person, the Center’s research shows,” CRP said.
As for Gingrich, most of his contributions were made during the Clinton administration when he was Speaker, but there doesn’t appear to be much residual loyalty among the 42 recipients of contributions from Gingrich’s House leadership PAC.
Gingrich’s PAC made more than $260,000 in contributions but today, none of the 42 have endorsed the former speaker for president and 10 of his recipients have actually endorsed Romney, according to CRP’s research.
By contrast, 15 members who received among them more than $56,000 from Romney have endorsed one of the remaining six GOP presidential candidates, CRP found.
For more from CRP, go here.
