Romney wraps GOP nod, now for Obama

With the Republican presidential nomination all but in hand, Mitt Romney is refocusing his efforts on challenging President Barack Obama, raising cash for what may be the most expensive presidential contests in American history.

“This is the start of a new campaign,” the former Massachusetts governor said as he celebrated a sweep of five primaries. He blasted Obama as a man whose time in office has been marked by “false promises and weak leadership” in a time of economic struggle.

The contests were the first since Rick Santorum conceded the race. The former Pennsylvania senator said he intends to sit down with Romney and his representatives in the next week or two.

“Mitt Romney is going to be the nominee,” Santorum told CNN, “and I’m going to support the nominee.”

While Santorum’s specific timeline is unclear, Romney will privately intensify fundraising efforts to prepare for the election contest. He exuded confidence, but is facing a 10-to-1 cash disadvantage in a general election match-up against the Democratic president.

The presumptive Republican nominee has at least six closed-door fundraising events in two days in New York and New Jersey. They may be among his final private meetings with donors, according to campaign officials who confirmed that Romney would begin to open some finance events to reporters as early as next week.

Lifting the curtain on what has been a private process for months would come less than 10 days after reporters outside a Palm Beach, Florida., fundraising event overheard Romney sharing previously undisclosed details about his tax plan. The episode was an embarrassment for Romney, who has been facing growing calls for transparency in his role as the GOP’s likely candidate.

While the ground rules have yet to be finalised, one campaign official said Romney would probably begin inviting a small group of reporters into larger fundraising events — particularly those in which the candidate offers remarks — in the coming week. That is largely the same policy Obama follows.

While Romney essentially declared the beginning of the general election on Tuesday night, he has been free to focus on Obama since Santorum suspended his campaign two weeks ago. That ended a nasty primary battle that took a heavy financial toll and prevented Romney from stockpiling cash to use against his Democratic opponent.

Largely an afterthought in the Republican contest, former House speaker Newt Gingrich is expected to end his campaigning later this week.

“Over the next few days, we are going to look realistically at where we’re at,” Gingrich told supporters in Concord, North Carolina.

Gingrich and Santorum have aggressively questioned Romney’s conservative credentials in recent months. Santorum said last month that Romney is the worst candidate to face Obama. But this week, asked if Romney was “the right guy” to represent the Republican Party, Santorum said he was.

But Romney’s success will depend, at least in part, on his ability to compete with Obama’s bank account.

Romney’s campaign had only about $10m in the bank at the end of March, according to federal filings. All told, Obama reported more than $104m in his account, having already spent nearly $90m on the general election. Election day is Nov 6.

Romney was eager to turn the political page after Tuesday’s primary wins in New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Delaware.

“After 43 primaries and caucuses, many long days and not a few long nights, I can say with confidence — and gratitude — that you have given me a great honour and solemn responsibility,” he told supporters gathered in New Hampshire. He urged all who are struggling in a shaky economy to “hold on a little longer — a better America begins tonight”.

Obama set the modern fundraising record in 2008, when he and his Republican rival, Sen John McCain, spent more than $1bn combined — with Obama spending more than $730m.

In 2004, the two major-party candidates set a spending record of $700m.