“Mitt Romney, whose prospects of becoming John McCain’s running mate appear on the rise, is preparing to formally declare he will not seek donations to repay $45 million in personal loans he made to his failed presidential bid — the biggest ever made by a candidate in a primary campaign. The move could clear away the last remnants of a divisive primary race, ensuring that he and his financial supporters are focused on helping McCain, but it could also put him at odds with McCain’s campaign reform message. Romney spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom said yesterday that the former Massachusetts governor is preparing to have the loans ‘reclassified as contributions’ and will write a letter to the Federal Election Commission explaining that he is ‘forgiving the outstanding loans.’” (07/17/08)