Palin’s PAC raises $1.2 million, but staff and fundraising costs eclipse candidate contributions

Amid rumors about her 2012 intentions, Sarah Palin raised $1.2 million for her political action committee in the last three months and spent just under $1 million, mostly on political consultants and fundraising expenses.

The $1.2 million take is the largest quarterly fundraising sum that Sarah PAC has logged since its founding in early 2009. All told, Palin's PAC has raised roughly $4.5 million during the 2010 election cycle, far less than PACs associated with other potential 2012 contenders such as Mitt Romney, whose committee has reported raising more than $7.7 million this cycle.

According to a report filed Tuesday with the Federal Election Commission, Sarah PAC has contributed $66,000 to GOP candidates and organizations since July. Among the contributions: $10,000 to the Republican Party of Iowa; $2,500 to Sharron Angle in Nevada; $3,500 to South Carolina gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley; and $5,000 apiece to GOP Senate candidates Marco Rubio, Pat Toomey, Rob Portman, Rand Paul, Jim DeMint and Joe Miller. Sarah PAC also cut $10,000 checks to Christine O'Donnell in Delaware and Kelly Ayotte in New Hampshire, two of Palin's best known "mama grizzlies."

But the PAC's contributions to candidates were eclipsed by the costs associated with staff, consultants and fundraising. According to the report, the committee spent more than $400,000 on postage and other costs probably associated with direct-mail fundraising. Sarah PAC also paid out roughly $230,000 to consultants and strategists, including $10,000 a month to Orion Strategies, the firm of longtime foreign policy adviser Randy Sheunemann. About $27,000 went to lawyers. Sarah PAC also paid out $27,098 to a video production firm and $1,000 to Pie Spy LLC, a company Palin founded last year, for a "domain name" purchase.

(Photo of Palin: Jamie Martin/AP)