Romney campaign launches donation by text message

(AP) GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney is accepting campaign contributions by text message.

The campaign's new "text-to-donate" operation, announced Friday, allows mobile phone users to make $10 donations by texting the word "GIVE" to 37377. The Romney campaign said the program would start this week through Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile and U.S. Cellular.

The campaign said other carriers will soon follow.

The Federal Election Commission decided in June to allow text donations in political campaigns. The agency limits donations to $50 per cellphone account per billing period, or $200 total. They are paid through a donor's phone bill. Higher donations would require that donors identify themselves to the campaigns.

Last week, the Obama campaign set up a similar program that allows contributors to text the word "GIVE" to 62262.