Gingrich Is Winning The Money Battle

Of the Republicans who are considering a run for the presidential nomination in 2012, theres not a whole lot of difference between them. While the field is large, their platforms are virtually interchangeable. That means the candidate who raises the most money, thereby giving him/her an advantage in getting their name before the people, may hold a significant advantage in getting the nomination.

And while he is not yet leading in any polls, so far the victor in the battle for campaign funds is former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Politico reports that Gingrich raised $4.2 million in just the last three months of 2010, and his total for the year easily eclipses any of his probable opponents. Here is the total raised by the biggest money-raisers of last year:

Newt Gingrich...............$14.5 million

Mitt Romney...............$6.3 million

Sarah Palin...............$3.5 million

Tim Pawlenty...............$2.6 million

Everyone else was an also-ran in the money game. It looks like a lot of people had better get busy raising some money. They can't afford to let Gingrich outraise them by such a substantial amount again in 2011. Popularity may be good, but in the current state of American politics, money is king.