US Election: Romney Die-Hards Fund Own Campaigns

Some Republicans are so desperate to get their man in the White House they are spending thousands of dollars of their own money travelling around the country to aid the campaign, Sky News has learned.

With the race now in its final sprint, Mitt Romney's army of die-hard fans are understood to be driving and jetting to the key swing states, the places that will decide the result.

They are door-knocking, visiting businesses and meeting community groups in the likes of Ohio and Virginia - targeting undecided voters as well as shoring up support in strong conservative areas.

In a sign of just how much they want multimillionaire Mr Romney in the highest office in the land, some are making multiple trips to different states, paying their own way with flights, car journeys, hotels and meals.

Self-funding volunteers have been organised into groups and have been convening at hotels to form their campaigning plan. It is not clear how much direction they are given by Republican Party officials.

One such volunteer Sky News met in Ohio, where the two candidates arrived to campaign on Friday, said: "We're going to swing states, but we're not just doing the touch-and-go counties - we're going to places where we know Mitt has a lot of support, but we don't want to be complacent.

"This race is extremely tight, so it's about energising the base as well as the swing counties.

"I've spent \$2,000 (£1,250) on this trip alone and taken two weeks' vacation, travelling up from Texas. There are a few others here from Utah and Alabama.

"But I know of others who go it alone rather than doing this in groups."

The man, in his 50s, was speaking at a hotel where his group of fewer than 10 were staying and asked to remain anonymous, saying the Republican Party advises its volunteers not to speak to the media.

Matt Reger, the chairman of Wood County Republican Party in Ohio, said he had recently met two Republican supporters who are travelling to parts of the country to back Mr Romney and bearing all of the cost.

"Last Sunday, I had lunch with a couple from Alabama who came up here for the week to do door-to-door for Romney," he said.

"They had come up at the beginning of October and then had gone to North Carolina. They had then gone back to Alabama and then had once again come back to Ohio.

"They did all of this at their own expense."

Sky News made repeated attempts to reach the Republican Party for a comment, but no one was available.

A Democratic Party spokesman said they had many volunteers, but were not aware of any who spend their own money travelling around the country campaigning for Barack Obama.

He said: "If we have volunteers in California, they might put phone calls into people in Virginia. But to my knowledge, we don't have people flying around anywhere unless they really have something in particular to offer."