FACT CHECK: Campaign Did Not Raise $10 Million In One Day

On May 16, with great fanfare, Mitt Romney announced that he “raised $10.25 million” in a single day. The announcement resulted in an avalanche of good press. A database search reveals hundreds of references to his fundraising haul, virtually all of it positive. A sampling of headlines:

Mitt Romney Lays Down The Gauntlet To Republican Contenders With A One Day Fundraising Haul of More Than $10 Million [Christian Science Monitor, 5/17/11]

$10 Million Day For Romney [Washington Post, 5/17/11]

Romney holds daylong event to display fundraising prowess; Vegas drive adds about $10.25M To Coffers, Aides Say [Boston Globe, 5/17/11]

Team Romney Rakes In $10.25 Million In One Day [National Journal, 5/17/11]

Romney himself touted the $10 million figure, saying, “That’s a terrific start. Actually it’s more than just a start – it really gives us the boost that we need at this early stage in my effort.”

So how was it that, after raising over $10 million in one day, the campaign recently announced itonly raised $15 to $20 million for the entire quarter?

As it turns out, the campaign wasn’t telling the truth. Yesterday, the Los Angeles Time revealed Romney’s “sleight of hand“:

The former Massachusetts governor’s campaign told reporters in May that he had raised $10 million in a one-day phone-a-thon in Las Vegas. But the amount actually represented pledges gathered earlier and tallied that day, not just funds actually taken in by the campaign.

So the campaign not only didn’t raise $10 million in one day, they didn’t even collect $10 million dollars in pledges in one day. Instead, they “tallied” pledges they received “earlier.”

The Romney campaign purposely misled the press and the public for their own political advantage.