If Perry does raise more money than Romney in Q3, it is game over, barring a surprise.
GOP establishment nears decision point
As the GOP presidential field emerges from the traditional Labor Day starting gate, the candidates are confronting a sobering reality: They’re already running out of time.
Though there are still months to go before Republicans start casting real primary ballots, party leaders say the dynamics of the race could be locked in place by the end of October. That’s because the Republican establishment – which has largely stayed neutral in the GOP primary – is about to start picking sides.
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The emerging duel between the two Republicans presents an agonizing choice for donors who want to support the better general election candidate, but also want to be on board with the winner of the party’s 2012 primary.
With elites hesitating over both the painfully cautious, independent-voter-friendly Romney and the blustery, activist-charming Perry, their affections could still turn either way in the next two months.
Put another way: It’s shaping up as a choice between one candidate who looks electable and other who might be inevitable.
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Donors could also scatter according to more parochial or self-interested concerns, the second ex-chair said, musing: “If I’m John Boehner and I look back at last cycle and saw most of my pick-ups were from New York do I want Perry on top of the ticket?”
To Republican insiders who have already made their choice in the 2012 race, all the caution is starting to look an awful lot like dithering.
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