Having watched the Obama campaign raise money by raffling off dinner with the president, likely Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney is following suit.
In an email to supporters he’s offering a chance for four supporters to sit down for dinner — and all it costs is a $3 donation.
“We’ve done this sort of thing before, and I always look forward to it. It gives me a chance to hear your ideas about turning this country around. And I never turn down a chance to grab a burger or a stack of pancakes — just ask Ann,” the candidate says in his email.
The $3 price tag is also telling. Mr. Romney’s campaign has earned the vast majority of its money from high-dollar donors — far more than any of the other campaigns this year — and the “Grab a Bite with Mitt” move is a way to try to build a list of small-dollar donors and supporters.
The campaign said it will fly the four winners by coach class to an as-yet unnamed destination and put them up in a hotel “with an approximate retail value of $175.” The meal is valued at $35.
For comparison, when Mr. Obama’s campaign ran its contest it put winners up in a hotel room valued at about $200 and put the value of its dinner at $200 — far outstripping Mr. Romney’s modest tab.
