Three’s a month to go in which events might still shake up the race. None of the debates have even been held yet. Mitt Romney is not very far behind Barack Obama in the national polls. Yet, between Romney’s dismal performance as a candidate and Obama’s considerable lead in the electoral college based upon states where he now leads, even many Republicans are giving up on Romney. We knew it was over for Bob Dole when donors abandoned his campaign against Bill Clinton. Now conservative donors are starting to give up on Mitt Romney. I know many other conservatives are in denial, claiming it is a plot by the mainstream media to make it appear Romney is trailing when he is actually leading, but this report comes direct from the house organ of the Republican Party, Fox:
The Romney campaign is experiencing what some officials believe could be the beginning of a mass exodus of big money donors diverting their cash away from the Republican presidential hopeful and toward Republican candidates for the House and Senate races more likely to win in November, the FOX Business Network has learned.
The trend isn’t at the acute stage, at least not yet, said one person with direct knowledge of the matter. This person, a major player in Romney’s New York fundraising circles, confirmed to FOX Business that a few New York donors have backed away from financial commitments to the Romney campaign and instead said they will spend their money to help the Republicans hold on to the House of Representatives, and pick up seats in the Senate.
But another person with direct knowledge of the matter says the trend, though nascent, is more geographically broad based, and reflects an increasing degree of anxiety both with what they believe is the tentative nature of the Romney campaign, and recent poll numbers that show President Obama with a lead, particularly in key battleground states, that some Republican contributors are starting to believe is insurmountable.
“This isn’t just a New York trend,” this person said. “It’s beginning to occur all over the place.”
One bright spot is that at least so far, the big donors that are moving away from Romney have not diverted their cash to President Obama, in attempt to cozy up to the administration during its second term, according to people inside the campaign.