Top establishment figure to lead Trump fundraising

After spending the last year telling GOP donors he wanted nothing to do with them, Donald Trump is now being assisted by one of the best-positioned men in America to repair those relationships. 

Lew Eisenberg, the finance chairman for the Republican National Committee (RNC), has agreed to lead the new joint fundraising account between Trump, the RNC and 11 state parties. 

{mosads}”It’s good they have got Lew Eisenberg. … He’s friends with everybody,” said Lisa Spies, a well-connected Republican fundraiser who played a leading role in Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential bid.

“It’s good it’s being done through somebody reputable. … It’s another step in the right direction [for the Trump campaign],” added Spies, who plans to dedicate her efforts this year to helping Republicans maintain control of the Senate.

Fred Malek, the finance chairman of the Republican Governors Association, described Eisenberg as a “good choice” to be Trump’s bridge to the high-end donor community, which remains skeptical about his candidacy.

“He’s very able; has a great deal of experience,” Malek said of Eisenberg. “I think they are getting off to a good start … but they are clearly starting at a disadvantage because Clinton has been at it for two years — actually 20 years.

“It takes time to build up an organization around the country.”

Trump has a long way to go to catch up to Clinton, who has the most extensive fundraising network in U.S. politics and has already raised more than $170 million in campaign dollars.

She also has an outside super-PAC, Priorities USA, that has reserved more than $100 million in advertising and is already hitting Trump with ads attacking his character by highlighting unflattering statements he has made about women.

Trump’s new joint fundraising committee, known as “Trump Victory,” can accept contributions as high as $449,400 from each donor, the RNC said in a statement.

Another joint committee — solely between the RNC and the Trump campaign — is called the “Trump Make America Great Again Committee.”

Corey Lewandowski, Trump’s campaign manager, told The Hill on Wednesday that Eisenberg would be working closely with Steven Mnuchin, a Wall Street banker and Trump’s campaign finance chairman.

Trump also has two main super-PACs supporting him: the Great America PAC, which is led by former President Reagan aide Ed Rollins, and the Committee for American Sovereignty, which involves conservative activists and top allies of former presidential hopeful Ben Carson.

But the super-PACs have so far made only modest inroads into the big-donor community.

“These two super-PACs are viewed with enormous skepticism,” a conservative leader who regularly deals with the top GOP mega-donors told The Hill.

“The solid majority of major donors are now resigned to Trump as the nominee. … They are ready to give … but they need a credible place to put their money.”