Romney raises impressive $24M in fourth quarter

Mitt Romney followed up an easy victory in the New Hampshire primary by announcing he raised $24 million in the last three months of 2012, further establishing himself as the candidate to defeat in the GOP presidential race. 

The total is the strongest quarter so far for Romney's campaign and leaves him with $19 million in cash on hand. It is likely to dwarf what his Republican rivals report for their fundraising totals, and adds to a sense of inevitability that he will be the Republican challenging President Obama this fall. 

Romney raised a total of $56 million in 2011, and has benefited from the support of outside groups, which have run ads in early-contest states savaging his rivals. This has allowed Romney to preserve some of his own resources.

The $24 million haul means he will have plenty of resources to compete through Super Tuesday in early March. None of the other campaigns have shown similar fundraising firepower, although an outside group backing Newt Gingrich has been spending heavily in South Carolina, and a Gingrich friend who is bankrolling the group has given it more than $5 million so far.

Romney's big win in New Hampshire also raises the prospects that he could get a quick knockout in the GOP nomination with a win in South Carolina, allowing him to save his money for the general election against Obama.

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