Mitt Romney posts $14 million in 3Q fund-raising period

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney raised more than $14 million for his presidential bid this summer, his campaign announced Friday morning.

Romney led the Republican money race earlier this year when he brought in $18 million in the previous fundraising quarter. This time, however, he fell short of Gov. Rick Perry’s reported $17-million haul. Romney also has slightly less cash in the bank -- $14.65 million compared to the Texas governor’s $15 million on hand.

“We are proud of the $32 million we have raised for the campaign so far,” said national finance chairman Spencer Zwick in a statement. “This is just the start of the effort to help fuel Mitt Romney’s message that will defeat President Obama next November.”

The campaign collected donations from nearly 56,000 people, 83% of whom gave small-dollar donations of $250 or less. The money was raised only for the primary, meaning Romney can return to collect from maxed-out donors in the general election if he wins the nomination.

And the campaign has another still-untapped source of cash -- the candidate’s own money. Romney has not made a loan to his campaign; in his 2008 presidential run, he kicked in $45 million of his personal funds.

Fund-raising totals for other candidates have trickled out in recent days, in advance of Saturday’s campaign finance filing deadline. Thursday, Obama’s reelection effort announced a $70-million take, with funds raised both for the president’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee.