Palin Beats Ryan in Funds for Presidential Campaigns

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Mitt Romney touted an uptick in donations since the presumptive presidential nominee selected Paul Ryan as his running mate. But it hasn't been as much as what John McCain pulled in after surprising the country with his pick of Sarah Palin, at the time an unknown governor from Alaska.

Romney has raised $10.2 million online since Saturday, Aug. 11, when he announced Ryan on the Republican ticket, according to a memo sent to reporters Friday.

Palin bumped McCain's donations by $8.8 million in the two days after revealing his choice. By comparison, Romney raised $7.4 million in the three days after his Ryan nod.

Palin arrived as an unknown entity and managed to ignite a Republican base in 2008 that had grown weary of Sen. McCain. The honeymoon wore off quickly, though, as Palin struggled to understand issues in the economy, foreign policy and U.S. history.

Ryan, though only 42, is seen as a veteran politician who has a "wonky" understanding of the budget and is a well-known rising leader within the Republican Party.

Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul said in an interview that the $10.2 million was raised as of Thursday afternoon and was all online.

The memo said more than 124,800 people gave an average of $81 per donor, and that the campaign's Web site received more than 2 million visitors.

This amount does not include what the campaign has raised in other fundraisers since Ryan joined.

-- Written by Joe Deaux in New York.

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