Priorities USA Action, which is run by two former White House aides, reported raising $4 million in May, more than a twofold increase over its collections a month earlier. Officials at the group said fund-raising in June had already exceeded May’s haul. The seven-figure contributions came from Barbara Stiefel, a longtime Democratic fund-raiser from Florida; Franklin L. Haney, a real estate developer from Tennessee, and Steve Mostyn, a trial lawyer in Texas. The three helped Priorities draw almost even — at least for the month — with Restore Our Future, the primary super PAC backing Mitt Romney, which reported raising about $5 million in May. The spike in donations comes as top campaign officials for Mr. Obama traveled to Washington to give reporters an update on the race. The advisers, speaking on condition of anonymity so that they could frankly discuss their strategy, predicted that Mr. Romney and groups backing him would spend $1.25 billion on television advertising. “Republicans are betting they can win this thing on the air,” one senior adviser said. “Make no mistake, we will be outspent.” That worry was underscored by the groups backing Mr. Romney’s presidential bid, who on Wednesday reported large hauls in May. Restore Our Future reportedly received a $10 million pledge in June from Sheldon Adelson, a Las Vegas casino magnate who donated millions to Newt Gingrich’s presidential bid during the primaries. Mr. Obama also is facing millions of dollars in advertisements against him from American Crossroads, a super PAC, and its sister organization, Crossroads GPS, an advocacy group that does not disclose its donors. Mr. Obama’s campaign filed a complaint on Tuesday with the Federal Election Commission demanding that Crossroads GPS disclose its donors, citing a recent court case. In response, a spokesman for Crossroads noted that Priorities USA also has a sister organization that does not disclose its donors. The issue of disclosure has hampered fund-raising on the Democratic side in the past. For much of 2011, Priorities USA Action operated without the blessing of Mr. Obama, who had repeatedly lambasted the flow of undisclosed money into campaigns after the Citizens United Supreme Court Case in 2010. The campaign altered course in February, embracing the Democratic super PAC and sending some of its top advisers to help with fund-raising. Ben LaBolt, a spokesman for Mr. Obama’s campaign, said Wednesday that the campaign helps raise money only for Priorities USA Action, the part of the group that discloses its donors, though he acknowledged that the group has a sister organization that does not. “We were 100 percent clear that we weren’t supporting any” group that does not disclose, Mr. LaBolt said. The two campaigns revealed their May fund-raising totals this month. Mr. Romney and the Republican National Committee raised about $78 million in contrast to $60 million from Mr. Obama’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee. On Wednesday, the campaigns provided details about their fund-raising in filings with the Federal Election Commission. The D.N.C. totals included a virtual who’s who from Hollywood, including: Kirk Douglas, Billy Crystal, Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black, Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, Salma Hayek and Burt Bacharach. The Obama campaign increased spending, particularly in advertising but also in polling and focus groups. Mr. Obama’s campaign detailed its spending on television commercials, including a $25 million ad campaign it had announced earlier. The reports show Mr. Obama spent $28.9 million on television ads in May and an additional $5.4 million on online ads. Mr. Romney more than doubled his fund-raising total from April by collecting $23.4 million in May, and he ended the month with $17 million in cash on hand. A joint committee with the Republican National Committee brought in $7.1 million of Romney’s total.
