Romney ‘super PAC’ raises nearly $5 million in May

WASHINGTON -- The pro-Romney “super PAC” Restore Our Future pulled in nearly $5 million in May, according to reports with the Federal Election Commission filed Wednesday, as the group pivoted to its general election battle against President Obama.

The group spent almost as much as it raised -- $4.8 million, the bulk of which went toward its “Mother’s Day” ad buy in early May, which hammered Democrats for comments belittling Ann Romney’s stay-at-home motherhood. The super PAC ended the month with $8.4 million in the bank.

The super PAC disclosed a healthy sprinkling of five- and six-figure donations, including $67,500 from conservative Pittsburgh media baron Richard Scaife and a combined $428,400 from five executives of the Villages of Lake Sumter, a retirement community in Florida.

Top executives from automotive software company Reynolds and Reynolds appear to have given the group a combined $1 million — although neither their names nor the company’s name appears on the super PAC filings.

Instead, three companies listed at the same Dayton, Ohio, post office box gave donations of $333,333, $333,333 and $333,334. According to Texas corporation filings, the companies are registered to the Houston office of Reynolds and Reynolds.

Reynolds and Reynolds spokesman Tom Schwartz confirmed that one of the donors — CRC Information Systems — is a Reynolds subsidiary. The individuals registered at all three of the contributing companies are top executives at Reynolds.

Other noteworthy donors include Frank Vandersloot, the Idaho businessman who had previously given Restore Our Future $1 million through his health products company, Malaleuca. Vandersloot went on Fox News mid-May to complain that the Obama campaign had identified him as a Romney mega-donor, which led to harassment and a decline in his business.

“I think the only response is to make another donation ... for $100,000,” Vandersloot told host Bill O’Reilly, holding up a check.

Sure enough, the check came through; the $100,000 donation was registered on May 31.

melanie.mason@latimes.com