WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack
Obama's campaign raised more than $70 million combined for his re-election and
the Democratic party during the summer, an amount that gives him a clear
advantage over his Republican rivals but is less than his initial fundraising
effort.
The fundraising total announced
Thursday exceeds a goal set by the campaign of $55 million combined for the
July-September fundraising period but is about $16 million less than Obama
raised during the April-June quarter.
Obama has dealt with declining poll
numbers and a weakened economy during the summer, prompting the president to
recently call himself the "underdog" in the presidential race.
Campaign officials had said they would raise less because of canceled
fundraisers during the summer's debt ceiling negotiations and a typical
summertime lull in raising cash.
Obama campaign manager Jim Messina
said in an e-mail to supporters that more than 600,000 people donated to the
campaign in the most recent quarter, more than the previous three months. He
said more than 980,000 people have given money to the campaign, and in the most
recent quarter, 98 percent of the donors gave $250 or less, with an average
donation of $56.
"Getting to a million grassroots
donors isn't just a huge accomplishment this early in the campaign. It's our
answer to our opponents, the press, and anyone who wants to know whether the
President's supporters have his back," Messina said.
The numbers include $42.8 million for
Obama's campaign and $27.3 million for the Democratic National Committee, which
will help Obama's re-election effort next year.
Obama still leads his Republican
rivals in fundraising by tens of millions and can save most of it for next year
because he does not face a primary opponent.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney
leads the Republican field in fundraising, pulling in more than $18 million in
his first three months of campaigning. He is not expected to surpass that mark
for the past three months but should lead the pack in cash on hand. Texas Gov.
Rick Perry raised $17 million in his first seven weeks of campaigning and had
$15 million in the bank.
Obama advisers have told donors
privately they hope to match or exceed the $750 million they raised in 2008, a
staggering amount that would help the president pay for expensive TV ads and a
massive get-out-the-vote operation. But to match the amount they raised the
last time, Obama would need to bring in nearly $120 million combined for each
of the next five quarters to keep pace.
Messina said the campaign was using
the money to build its operation. He said the campaign has opened up three new
field offices every week during the past three months, and volunteers and
organizers have made 3 million phone calls and in-person visits to voters.
"We're up against a Republican
Party and special interest-funded groups that will spend hundreds of millions
of dollars spreading any message that they believe will defeat the President
and roll back our efforts to build a fairer economy that rewards hard work and
responsibility, not large corporations," Messina said.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.
