Mitt Romney has ramped up his fundraising in recent months in an effort to solidify his status at the top of the Republican primary field and scare off new competitors. Many of the new members of the former Massachusetts governor’s “finance team” are veterans of John McCain’s failed 2008 presidential bid. He’s also locked down the support of GOP fat-cats who were previously supporting the abortive campaigns of Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour and Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels.

Also, Romney–who made his millions at the finance giant Bain Capital–has had little trouble attracting checks from the Wall Street crowd, including a 2008 Obama supporter who later complained that he didn’t like how the president was treating bankers. [Washington Post]