Perry Allies Fret About Fundraising Sources

Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry’s campaign is rushing to raise money to match the financial strength of front-runner Mitt Romney. But some of the Texas governor’s backers worry that the campaign isn’t paying enough attention to where the money is coming from, which could cause problems for Perry down the road, Politico reports.

For example, last year, Perry blasted his GOP primary challenger’s connection to lobbyist Stephen Payne, who was filmed suggesting he could arrange meetings for a deposed Central Asian politician with top George W. Bush administration officials if a contribution of $250,000 was offered to the Bush library.

But Perry fundraising officials already have received help from Payne themselves this summer. Perry allies are worried that the campaign isn’t being careful enough in this and other cases about how it raises its money.