Romney likely to raise $20 million in 4th quarter

Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney stands on a table to address an overflow crowd during a campaign stop in Souix City, Iowa December 31, 2011, ahead of the Iowa Caucus on January 3, 2012.

DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) - Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney likely raised more than $20 million for his campaign in the last three months of 2011, a Republican official said on Saturday.

Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, will "probably go over $20 million this quarter," the official said.

That figure would likely put Romney, a multimillionaire and former head of a private equity firm, in the front of the pack in Republican fundraising for the final three months of 2011.

Romney raised nearly $14 million in the third quarter, finishing behind Texas Governor Rick Perry's $17 million. Perry's fundraising is believed to have slowed in recent months as he has sunk in the polls after several shaky debate performances.

Romney narrowly leads rival Ron Paul in the Des Moines Register's Iowa poll three days before the state kicks off the state-by-state battle for the right to challenge President Barack Obama, a Democrat, in the 2012 election.

(Reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by Bill Trott)