Romney far ahead of Republican presidential rivals in fundraising

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney raised 18.25 million U.S. dollars in the second quarter, easily the biggest fundraising within the Republican field, his campaign team said Wednesday. All the money raised in the quarter was for the primary campaign, not the general election fund, said Romney for President, the former Massachusetts governor's campaign team. "Voters are responding to Mitt Romney's message that President Obama's policies have failed and that we need new leadership in Washington. Our fundraising for the second quarter represents the strong support Mitt Romney has across the country," Romney for President National Finance Chairman Spencer Zwick said in a statement. Other Republican presidential hopefuls had far less fundraising success during the same period. House Representative Ron Paul of Texas reported 4.5 million dollars; former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty 4.2 million, former U.S. Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman 4.1 million, while former Godfather's Pizza CEO Herman Cain brought in 2.46 million. House Representative Michele Bachmann of Minnesota has yet to report her second-quarter fundraising figure, and her campaign team is expected to file a report in mid-July.