On Tuesday, he pulled in $75,000 from 350 business-suit-clad "Women for Nutter."
On Wednesday, Sunoco executive Edward J. Hazzouri hosted a small fund-raising dinner at the Water Works Restaurant.
On Thursday, Nutter was off to the Philadelphia Country Club in Gladwyne for another money-raising event.
And Friday morning, there was a breakfast fund-raiser with developers at Urban Outfitters at the Navy Yard.
A candidate's chasing down campaign cash is hardly unusual, of course. But for Nutter, there is an inherent tension in doing it so aggressively when no one sees his opponent as much of threat. His image as a reformer comes in part because of his efforts on City Council to rein in the influence of big donors.
At the same time, political realities are settling in for the man everyone fully expects to be mayor.
"Anyone who thinks governing doesn't take money is naive," said Leslie Miller, part of Nutter's six-person finance team.
One of the biggest reasons for rebuilding the war chest: to have money to donate to candidates for office in Washington, Harrisburg, and Philadelphia's surrounding counties, Miller said.
By giving money, donors typically gain access or influence with the candidate. In Nutter's case, he campaigned on building relationships and partnerships with political leaders from various levels of government. There are a lot of leaders, though, and that takes a lot of money.
"The mayor of Philadelphia has to be in financial position to support good candidates," including those who can help forward his agenda, Nutter said.
He isn't just seeking out new donors. He and his finance team are also methodically approaching past givers who have not contributed all they can under the city's limits for this race ($5,000 per individual and $20,000 per political committee).
