Mitt Romney, GOP Money Magnet

Mitt Romney may have trouble convincing many Republicans that there's much of a difference between the health care individual mandate he signed into law as Massachusetts' governor and the federal one.

But when it comes to his still-not-officially-announced presidential campaign persuading people to give money is clearly not an issue.

As NPR's Peter Overby reported for the network's newscast, Romney raised serious money Monday:

The Romney organization says it rounded up some 800 supporters for a 9-to-5 workday of making phone calls.

The event at the Las Vegas Convention Center brought in $10.3 million dollars organizers said. The maximum contribution was $2,500 per person.

Romney has deep connections in the finance industry. He's expected to be the best-financed of the half-dozen rivals for the GOP nomination.

He used a similar fundraising extravaganza to launch his 2008 White House bid. It was said to raise $6.5 million. The total later came down as some pledges didn't materialize.

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