Money Lead Gives Romney A Needed Jolt

On Tuesday, Romney touted a new poll in Iowa as evidence that his efforts are paying off. In it, he has pulled into a close third place with 17 percent, up from a 10 percent showing in a similar poll last month. Aides said early campaign commercials and frequent visits have made a difference.

"Of course, I'm not a household name yet," Romney told NBC's Matt Lauer on the "Today" show. "But in the states where I spent a lot of time, like Iowa, New Hampshire, Michigan, Florida, South Carolina, people know me, they're warming to my message."

The fundraising success was a jolt for a campaign that had been struggling to prove that it belonged in the top tier of candidates. As he traveled across New Hampshire and headed to Iowa, the ex-governor stuck to the message he credits with earning him the support of so many donors.

After reading from "Owl Babies" to a group of eight preschoolers, Romney addressed elderly voters at an Easter Seals facility in Manchester.

"I am very optimistic about the future of our country," he told them before rattling off a series of challenges: health-care costs, failing schools, a "narrow slice of Islam" out to attack America. But he closed as he always does -- by touting his management experience and his outsider status.

Giuliani, who was also campaigning in New Hampshire and Iowa on Tuesday, said in an interview that he is "very happy" with the $15 million he raised and bragged that his finance team collected $10 million in March alone.

"We raised just about nothing in January because we were organizing," he said. "We raised a little bit in February. Then we raised 10 in March, when our operation was all together. Had we organized three months earlier, we would have raised three times that amount."

Giuliani aides, while not as jubilant as the Boston-based Romney team, said they are confident in their ability to mount an effective campaign. They said the money will enable them to expand their organization, which has been slower in building up than those of Romney or McCain. As of today, they said Giuliani has two permanent staff members on the ground in Iowa.

Staff writer Dan Balz contributed to this report.