(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
RIVERHEAD, N.Y.—Mitt Romney hasn't held a public rally since Tuesday, when he concluded his four-day battleground state bus tour in Ohio. But the presumptive Republican nominee has still been busy traveling the country in search of campaign cash.
Since Wednesday, Romney has headlined at least a half a dozen fundraisers taking him through North Carolina, Alabama, South Carolina and Massachusetts. On Friday, he attended four separate events—including two finance roundtables at his campaign headquarters in Boston and two finance events in the Hamptons in New York.
On Saturday morning, the GOP candidate kicked off a grueling 14-hour day that includes six separate fundraisers along the Massachusetts coast, including stops Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. Campaign aides estimated Romney would raise at least $7 million from all the events on Friday and Saturday.
Speaking to a pool of reporters on his campaign plane Saturday, Romney said he'd rather be campaigning than raising money, but said he had to spend so much time fundraising to keep pace with President Barack Obama and his allies.
"That's the challenge with a president who blew through the federal spending limits. It means that campaigns now have to spend a disproportionate amount of time fundraising," Romney said. "You appreciate all the help you get, but you wish you could spend more time on the campaign trail."
But Romney's fundraising schedule shows no signs of letting up. On Monday, Romney will hold a town hall with his running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan, in New Hampshire, but then he'll be back on the finance circuit, heading events in New Orleans and West Texas early next week.