By Saul Loeb, AFP/Getty ImagesPresident Obama appears at a Democratic campaign fundraiser in Bellevue, Wash., on Feb. 17.
By Saul Loeb, AFP/Getty ImagesPresident Obama appears at a Democratic campaign fundraiser in Bellevue, Wash., on Feb. 17.
The haul outpaces the $29.1 million Obama raised for himself and the Democratic Party in January. It still trails what he collected at this point four years ago as he made his first bid for the White House. Republicans called the lag a sign of voter weariness with Obama and the nation's economic struggles.Obama made the fundraising announcement in an early-morning tweet, thanking the 348,000 people who donated last month. The campaign said nearly 98% of the contributions were $250 or less, and the average donation was about $59.The fundraising news comes before campaign filings with the Federal Election Commission and another important test for the president's Republican rivals — Tuesday's primary in Obama's home state of Illinois."Every dime the Republicans are raising will be spent on the air carpet-bombing each other," Obama campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt said. "Our funds are a direct investment in our general election infrastructure on the ground."Combined with his fundraising for the Democratic Party, Obama has collected about $300 million for the entire election cycle. In February alone, he headlined 15 fundraisers in California, Florida and Washington, according to data compiled by Brendan Doherty, a U.S. Naval Academy political scientist who tracks presidential activity.The aggressive pace shows no signs of slowing. Last week, Obama attended five fundraisers on a single day - including an event with singer Cee Lo Green in Atlanta and another at the home of movie producer Tyler Perry, where attendees paid $35,800 each. Monday afternoon, he appeared at another $35,800-a-head event at the high-end W Hotel in downtown Washington.Republicans note that Obama raised less this February than the $56.8 million he raised in February 2008 amid his fight with Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Democratic nomination. Republican National Committee spokeswoman Kirsten Kukowski said Obama "is having a hard time convincing voters he deserves another term."Obama's campaign did not disclose how much money went into his campaign account directly in February vs. accounts shared with the national party.He has consistently outraised the Republicans vying to replace him. Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, who leads the GOP field in fundraising, announced collecting $11.5 million in February. Former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum collected $9 million last month. Other GOP candidates have not released full details of their February fundraising; those reports are due to the Federal Election Commission by midnight Tuesday. Overall, Republican candidates have raised far less than GOP presidential contenders at this stage in the 2008 election. Instead, they have relied heavily on new super PACs that can raise and spend unlimited money.In Illinois, a pro-Romney super PAC had spent $2.6 million as of midday Monday, more than eight times the spending by a super PAC aligned with Santorum. For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.