'Jewish' Bachmann hurts Romney fundraising

NEW YORK, Aug. 30 (UPI) -- Jewish donors may like Republican U.S. presidential hopeful Mitt Romney but some give to Michele Bachmann, mistakenly thinking she's Jewish, Romney backers say.

Bachmann is Jewish? Not quite. The Minnesota congresswoman is Lutheran.

That detail aside, Jewish donors have told fundraisers for Romney, a Mormon, they'd rather donate to the "Jewish candidate," Bachmann, the New York Post reported Tuesday.

"It's a real problem," a Romney fundraiser said. "We're working very hard in the Jewish community because of Obama's Israel problem. This was surprising."

Romney worked position himself as an alternative to Obama, viewed by some disenchanted Jews as not being a strong-enough supporter of Israel, pushing the message that he is a better friend to Israel.

Romney's campaign did not comment for the Post.

Bachmann enjoys a strong showing among Jewish voters and often discusses her stay on a kibbutz when she was a teenager in 1974, the Post said.

Last year, Bachmann said she was a Christian, "but I consider my heritage Jewish, because it is the foundation, the roots of my faith as a Christian."

Bachmann spokesman Doug Sachtleben told the Post she is doing well in the Jewish community because of "her strong support of the nation of Israel," not because some think she's Jewish.