Mitt Romney has one of the best Rolodex’s of rich people in Republican politics. Michele Bachmann says stuff that makes people love her or hate her. In our modern age, which one of the two prospective presidential contenders do you think raised more money in the first quarter of 2011?
Bachmann, of course. She pulled in $2.2 million, if you combine her personal and PAC accounts, while Romney raised $1.9 million.
What’s going on? The answer can be found in the following two articles. The first, which comes out in this week’s issue of TIME, explains why a Bachmann presidential campaign is actually a pretty big deal. The second, which I wrote with Jay Newton-Small in 2009, explains how Bachmann has mastered the art of modern-day fund-raising. As we wrote:
Civility is so 20th century. In today’s Congress, the propriety of a gentleman and $5 will get you lots of committee work and a ham sandwich. Embrace the new media landscape, however, and you can break out in the national media fun house as an Internet and cable-news populist. Fame and campaign cash await.