The Cheat Sheet
Election 2012: Follow the money
Nine firms that are run by or that recently employed top Romney aides have received almost a third of the $435.8 million that Romney’s campaign and a related fundraising committee have spent on operating expenses through Oct. 17, according to a Los Angeles Times analysis of federal election finance reports.
The Obama campaign has relied more heavily on outside vendors, directing $5.8 million to firms with business ties to top strategists.
Note: Payments do not include money for television and radio airtime.
Read more: Romney spends big on firms tied to aides
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Mitt Romney | $134 million paid to firms with ties to the Romney campaign's inner circle
Zac Moffatt
Digital strategist
$64,115,235 to Targeted Victory for digital consulting and web development. The company was co-founded by Moffatt, who serves as the digital strategist for Romney's campaign.
Stevens, Schriefer, Fehrnstrom
Media strategists
$23,644,470 to American Rambler for media production, polling, communications and strategy consulting. The firm is run by Stuart Stevens, Russ Schriefer and Eric Fehrnstrom who are media strategists for Romney's campaign.
Spencer Zwick
Campaign finance chair
$12,500,000 to VG and $9,663,723 to SJZ, for fundraising consulting. Both firms are run by Zwick, who serves as Romney's campaign finance chair.
Rich Beeson
Political director
$16,550,394 to FLS Connect for telemarketing and data management. Rich Beeson, Romney's political director, is a former partner.
Ward Baker
Senior advisor
$4,120,508 to Majority Strategies for printing and design of direct mail. Baker, a senior Romney advisor, is on leave from the firm.
Bradley Crate
Chief financial officer
$1,492,644 to Easterly Capital, which is registered to Crate, for air charter and $1,398,000 to Red Curve Solutions for compliance consulting. Crate, who serves as Romney's chief financial officer, is Red Curve Solutions' chief executive.
Katie Packer Gage
Deputy campaign manager
$747,817 to WWP Strategies for strategy consulting. Gage, a deputy campaign manager for Romney, is one of the firm's three partners.
Barack Obama | $5.8 million paid to firms with ties to the Obama campaign's inner circle
Joe Rospars
Chief digital strategist
$2,396,922 to Blue State Digital for technology consulting and web hosting. Rospars, a chief digital strategist for Obama, is founding partner.
Jim Margolis
Media strategist
$2,083,709 to GMMB for media consulting, production. Margolis, an Obama media strategist, is a partner.
Larry Grisolano
Media strategist
$1,174,906 to AKPD Message and Media for media consulting and production. Obama media strategist Larry Grisolano is a partner.
David Axelrod
Senior strategist
$166,000 to Axelrod's firm, Axelrod Strategies, for strategy. Axelrod is a senior strategist for Obama.