Romney Goes Soft...

on money that is. The Boston Globe combs through Mitt Romney's PAC filings and notes how the Commonwealth PAC has figured out how get around the $5,000 federal PAC limits by, well, not being set up as a federal PAC. Instead, Romney has set up a variety of state affiliates which allows him, in some cases, to raise unlimited amounts from individuals. Apparently, just over 100 individuals account for more than $1.6M in contributions with a few individuals giving over $100,000.

Buried in the story may be the most significant name mentioned: Jon Huntsman Jr., the GOP GOV of UT. Huntsman and his family are considered one of the most effective GOP fundraising families in the country. And despite Romney's Utah ties, we had been told that Huntsman wasn't necessarily signed on with Romney yet. This piece makes it seem as if Huntsman is on board the Romney campaign. We're guessing a few other WH '08 GOP hopefuls have a call into the governor to gauge the seriousness of this Romney-Huntsman alliance.

All of the non-federal officeholder candidates could set up similar operations. For instance, both Tom Vilsack and Mark Warner come from states where there are no limits.