(Drats!! Me pockets are empty! Can ye lone me 6.5 pennies!)

Romney raids McCain piggy bank
Posted by Mark Silva at 7:11 am CST

In that money primary, the one where a realistic candidate for president hopes to have $50 million banked by the start of January's primary elections and caucuses, Republican Mitt Romney is conceding nothing to Arizona Sen. John McCain on the senator's home turf.

Romney, former governor of Massachusetts, has assembled an Arizona fundraising team.

Romney's "Finance Steering Committee'' in Arizona, which held its first meeting last week, will help him "raise the resources need to campaign in Arizona and across the nation,'' his campaign says today.

"The team we have put together in Arizona is a collection of some of the state's best, most energetic and most committed leaders,'' Romney says in a prepared statement. "With their help, I know our vision for the future will be heard loudly in Arizona.''

Next comes a round of endorsements from Arizonans, promises Romney, who probably will face McCain, a heavily organized and popular longtime senator from Arizona who waged a strong campaign for the Republican Party's nomination for president in 2000, in the '08 primaries.

For now, this is Team Romney-Arizona:

Co-chairs, Paul And Susan Gilbert:. He is co-founder of the Beus Gilbert Law Firm in Scottsdale.. They recently helped Romney make a $6.5 million fundraising "National Call Day" in Boston.

Co-chair, Lee Hanley, chairman of Vestar, a developer and manager of large scale retail shopping centers. Hanley has served on a wide variety of civic and charitable boards in the Phoenix area.

Co-chair, Kevin DeMenna, who served as finance chairman for Arizona's 2002 Republican gubernatorial nominee. Last Friday, the Arizona State Republican Party gave him its Harry Rosenzweig Award for being the state's top Republican fundraiser.

Co-chair, Harry Cavanagh, founder of the O'Connor Cavanagh Law Firm.

Co-chair, Wil Cardon, president & CEO of The Cardon Group, a real estate company.

State Finance Director, Corinne Lovas, a political fundraiser in Arizona and the Southwest who has seved Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) and President Bush's 2004 re-election campaign.

Labels: fundraising, McCain