LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Mitt Romney and John McCain, both hoping to do well in Michigan's Republican presidential primary next Tuesday, began laying the groundwork years ago by distributing hundreds of thousands of dollars to Michigan candidates and political groups through their leadership political action committees.

Romney's committee, known as The Commonwealth PAC, donated about $300,000 to Michigan state and local level political causes in the 2003-04 and 2005-06 election cycles, according to campaign records filed with the Michigan Secretary of State and Associated Press research.

McCain's Straight Talk America fund kicked in more than $180,000 in the 2006 cycle in direct contributions, plus another $13,500 in in-kind expenses such as airfare and hotel bills.

No other presidential candidate, Republican or Democratic, came close to that level of support for Michigan efforts. Neither PAC has been active in the 2007-08 election cycle.

Among the groups receiving cash from Romney's leadership PAC was the Michigan Republican Party, which has gotten $49,500 since August 2004. Political action committees run by Republican caucuses in the state House and Senate also got money, as did dozens of individual GOP legislative candidates.

McCain's Straight Talk PAC helped some of the same candidates.

The leadership PACs are separate from the candidates' presidential campaigns and PACs. Both the givers and receivers of the cash say there were no strings attached to the donations.

Romney spokeswoman Sarah Pompei said the former Massachusetts governor's PAC distributed the money because he's interested in strengthening the Republican Party in Michigan, his native state. Michigan is a frequent election battleground state that could prove even more crucial to Romney's chances now that it has moved up its presidential primary to Jan. 15.

"Gov. Romney is a leader in the Republican Party," Pompei said. "He's working to elect candidates to local, state and federal levels to strengthen the party nationally and advance Republican principles."

McCain deputy national political director John Patrick Yob said making the party strong at the local level is the key to overall political success.

"Senator McCain committed to help Republican candidates and local parties in Michigan in 2006 so that our party would have a strong organization in place for the general election in 2008," Yob said in an e-mail.

Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land and Attorney General Mike Cox are among the Michigan candidates who have received campaign contributions from the Romney PAC since 2004. But that hasn't brought either into the Romney camp.

Cox, who last year stepped down as McCain's Michigan campaign chairman, remains supportive of the Arizona senator but is not active with the campaign, Cox spokesman Rusty Hills said. Land hasn't endorsed anyone in the presidential primary.

Both Cox and Land got some in-kind donations covering travel and lodging from McCain's Straight Talk PAC in 2006.

The Commonwealth PAC donated a total of $10,000 to a group called Citizens for Traditional Values, a nonprofit civic league that says its mission is to try to restore Judeo-Christian values to the public arena. The group focuses on state issues and hasn't endorsed anyone in the presidential race.

Citizens for Traditional Values President James Muffett said he solicited the PAC donation after hearing about the organization from a friend. He said the donation came without expectations of an endorsement.

"If it had, I wouldn't have taken it," he said.

The Commonwealth PAC contributed $1,000 to a committee called Repeal SBT aimed at getting rid of Michigan's main business tax, while another $1,000 went to the Great Lakes Education Project, a group supporting school choice.

The Commonwealth PAC has donated to more than 20 College Republican groups across the state, with the gifts ranging from $500 to $100.

Most Michigan county-level Republican groups have received individual donations ranging from $250 to $2,500 from the Commonwealth PAC, while the Straight Talk PAC gave most of them $500 to $5,000.

At the federal level, both PACs have supported some Michigan congressional candidates.

Romney and his wife, Ann, also got involved with private donations in Michigan elections. In 2006, the couple contributed $3,400 each to Republican Dick DeVos' unsuccessful gubernatorial campaign.