Romney to Tap Americans' Pockets — in London

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney will be tapping deep-pocketed citizens in the nation’s capital on July 6. The $2,500-a-head event will take place at Dartmouth House, just a stone’s throw from Hyde Park. Yes, that Hyde Park, in London, the capital of the United Kingdom, as opposed to other Hyde Parks here and abroad.

London also is one of banking capitals of the world, which is why the former Massachusetts governor is headed across the pond, reports The Boston Globe.

Already having proved himself a fundraising juggernaut stateside, the GOP front-runner intends to solicit contributions from well-connected Americans abroad.

“It is a rare step for a presidential candidate — and unheard of so early in a campaign — and is yet another indication of his front-runner status, his overwhelming fund-raising strength, and his desire to have a statesman’s reach,” the Globe’s report gushes.

Ensuring that he stays ahead in the financial race obviously is prompting him to make hay wherever the sun shines, and skip the Iowa straw poll that other candidates are prepping for on Aug. 13 at the Iowa State Center in Ames.

Foreign fundraisers are rare, but not unheard of, according to the Globe, which notes that Rudy Giuliani was the first, in September 2007, also in London. Michelle Obama and former President Bill Clinton also went to London fundraisers that year, soliciting cash for their spouses’ Democratic presidential campaigns. And then-Sen. Barack Obama later attended a campaign fundraiser held at the Notting Hill home of Rupert Murdoch’s daughter Elisabeth.

London is rich with Americans in the securities and investment industries, according to the Globe, which calculates Romney’s potential take this way: The Dartmouth House reception hall can accommodate 350 people, meaning the take could be $875,000 if the place is filled.

Co-chairs of the event include hedge-fund manager Louis Bacon; Raj Bhattacharyya, managing director at Deutsche Bank; Woody Johnson, owner of the New York Jets; and former Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey and her husband, Sean.

In addition, the Globe reports, Romney supporters formed a super PAC called Restore Our Future this week that will allow them to raise large sums of money independent from the presidential campaign. The PAC’s board includes Carl Forti of the Black Rock Group, Charlie Spies of Clark Hill PLC, and Larry McCarthy of McCarthy Hennings Media Inc.