Mitt Romney, the US Republican Party’s presidential candidate, has received disproportionately large campaign donations from the buyout industry, dwarfing contributions made to President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign.

According to US political researcher, the Center for Responsive Politics, Romney, the co-founder of US buyout firm Bain Capital, has received $2.27m from private equity firms in this election cycle as of July, compared with just $671,349 donated to Obama's campaign. The split in donations is the most lopsided ratio on record.