Obama Spends the Most in June, but Romney Raises More

Mr. Obama and the Democratic National Committee spent $70.8 million in June, including about $38 million on television advertising, as the president’s campaign sought to batter Mr. Romney over his ties to Bain Capital, the private equity firm.

Mr. Romney and the Republican National Committee spent $38.8 million, including about $11 million on television advertising — more than double what Mr. Romney’s campaign spent in May but far less than Mr. Obama.

But because money raised for the election cannot be spent until after the two parties hold their nominating conventions at the end of the summer, Mr. Obama appears to have far more money available to spend in the critical weeks ahead, when each candidate seeks to define the other.

Mr. Obama had an estimated $72 million in primary cash available at the end of June, thanks to a vast army of small donors who can give again and again without hitting the $2,500 contribution limit for primary season. Half of Mr. Obama’s money in June came in checks of less than $200. Mr. Romney has an estimated $20 million in primary money. Many of his early donors gave the maximum contribution while he was still spending heavily to fend off his Republican rivals in the first half of the year.

But Mr. Romney sharply improved his take from small donors in June, with checks of under $200 accounting for about a third of his fund-raising, suggesting that Mr. Obama’s advantage might not persist.

The primary cash for the candidates does not include money not yet transferred to their campaigns from the fund-raising accounts each candidate shares with his party.

The deficit in available money leaves Mr. Romney dependent on the Republican-leaning outside groups that have spent heavily in recent months to keep Mr. Obama on the defensive. American Crossroads, the leading Republican “super PAC,” this week announced a new $9 million campaign against Mr. Obama that criticizes the president for what the group says are unfair attacks on Mr. Romney. Restore Our Future, a super PAC backing Mr. Romney, spent about $15 million between April and June, including $7.6 million in June, a month when it raised $20 million.

Donations to Restore Our Future included $10 million from the casino billionaire Sheldon Adelson and his wife, $1 million from the real estate developer Harlan Crow, and $2 million from the Texas homebuilder Bob Perry, according to commission reports.

Tax-exempt “issue groups” that do not report their donors have spent millions more against Mr. Obama.

Mr. Romney has used that breathing room to crisscross the country attending fund-raisers to fill his war chest, exploiting his joint committee with the R.N.C. to bring in checks far in excess of what he could accept for his campaign. The committee, Romney Victory, brought in $140 million in the three months through June.

With the primary behind him, Mr. Romney has also begun building out his campaign staff and infrastructure, investments Mr. Obama and the Democrats made months ago. The Romney campaign’s payroll more than doubled between April and June, while his spending on direct mail has more than tripled. He spent close to a half-million dollars on office equipment in May and June. Mr. Romney’s campaign also spent $559,689 in June on “campaign promotional items,” according to election commission reports.

Mr. Obama substantially increased his expenditures on polling, spending $2.6 million in June, a fivefold increase over May. He continued to spend heavily on online advertising, with bills of about $4.4 million in June, and data mining, continuing a yearlong effort by Mr. Obama’s campaign to refine its attack on Mr. Romney and reconstitute the vast army of grass-roots supporters that helped power his 2008 victory. Mr. Obama’s spending on events — including stages, sound and lighting — also jumped in June, as he began hitting the campaign trail more intensively.

Both candidates are relying heavily on “bundlers,” supporters who gather checks from friends and business associates and help host fund-raisers. A list of bundlers posted by Mr. Obama’s campaign on Friday named individuals and couples. The top rank of bundlers, who have raised at least $500,000 each, included roughly 200 individuals accounting for at least $100 million of Mr. Obama’s haul.

Such disclosures are not required, and Mr. Romney has refused to name his fund-raisers. An analysis published this month by USA Today found that Mr. Romney has close to 1,200 bundlers, hundreds of them executives in the financial industry.

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Romney Raises More Than Obama in May

1:09 a.m. | Updated The revised version of this post is available here.

Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign shot past President Obama’s in fund-raising in May, collecting more than $76.8 million — nearly $17 million more than his rival.

The Republican fund-raising haul — the first full month that Mr. Romney and the Republican National Committee were in partnership — was nearly double what was collected the prior month.

And it easily topped Mr. Obama’s fund-raising in May. The president’s campaign announced on Thursday that its joint fund-raising operation with the Democratic National Committee had raised $60 million.

A statement from Mr. Romney’s campaign said the campaign and the Republican National Committee ended May with $107 million in cash.

“It is clear that people aren’t willing to buy into ‘hope & change’ again,” said Spencer Zwick, Mr. Romney’s national finance chairman. “Voters are making an investment because they believe that it will benefit the country.”

The surge in fund-raising for Mr. Romney came even as he clinched the delegates necessary to become the Republican nominee — a green light for Republican donors who might have been on the sidelines throughout the primary process. It also paved the way for the Republican National Committee to link its operations and fund-raising efforts with the Romney campaign.

Aides to Mr. Obama said they were not especially worried because they had expected Mr. Romney to have a good fund-raising month. They said some Republican donors likely gave the maximum they could in May and will not be able to give again in the coming months.

But the financial comparisons underscores the concern that Mr. Obama’s campaign has expressed to supporters over the past several months about the need for stepped-up financial contributions.

Democrats have warned that despite the president’s fund-raising prowess, he could be outspent during the upcoming months as Mr. Romney’s spending is supplemented by historic levels of fund-raising by outside political groups, particularly “super PACs.”

Mr. Obama’s campaign announced his total on Twitter Thursday morning, saying that the average donation was just more than $50. The $60 million includes money raised directly by his campaign and by the Democratic National Committee.

“The campaign raised more than $60 million across committees in May,” the president said. “Thanks to everyone who chipped in.”

The campaign and the Democratic committee raised $43.6 million in April, about the same amount as Mitt Romney raised that month.

The announcement by Mr. Obama comes two days after Republicans succeeded in beating back the recall of Scott Walker, the governor of Wisconsin, who had a big lead over his opponent in campaign cash.

Mr. Obama held a fund-raiser with Hollywood celebrities, including the actor George Clooney, in early May, just after he announced his support for same-sex marriage. The event reportedly raised $15 million for Mr. Obama’s campaign.

Democrats had worried whether Mr. Obama’s public support for the issue would cost him support in important swing states like Virginia and North Carolina. But the decision was hailed by supporters of Mr. Obama’s in the gay community, and it appears to have bolstered fund-raising for the president among wealthy members of that group.

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Obama raises $45 million in February for campaign, DNC

WASHINGTON – President Obama has stepped up his fundraising pace, amassing $45 million for his re-election and the Democratic National Committee in February before a likely spending spree by Republican outside groups in the general election, his campaign announced Monday.

By Saul Loeb, AFP/Getty Images

President Obama appears at a Democratic campaign fundraiser in Bellevue, Wash., on Feb. 17.

By Saul Loeb, AFP/Getty Images

President 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.

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