[h=3]By PETER NICHOLAS[/h]The Obama campaign collected $181 million in September, significantly topping its prior fundraising record for the 2012 election, as donors energized by the Democratic convention rallied to the president's cause.
The total, which includes money raised jointly with Democratic Party affiliates, far surpasses anything Mr. Obama or Republican challenger Mitt Romney have raised in any prior month of the 2012 election cycle.
In August, the Obama campaign took in $114 million while the Romney campaign collected $111 million. At the time, both those numbers were monthly records for the two campaigns.
The Romney campaign hasn't yet released its September fundraising total.
Associated PressObama arrives to speak at a campaign event in Cleveland on Friday.
The U.S. unemployment rate fell to its lowest level in more than three years in September. How will this data impact the presidential campaign and will it give President Obama a boost just a month before election? Sara Murray has details on Lunch Break. Photo: Getty Images.
Mr. Obama's fundraising, coupled with a decline in the unemployment rate announced Friday, are heartening developments for supporters who were disappointed with the president's performance in his debate with Mr. Romney in Denver on Oct. 3. Mr. Obama turned in what was widely seen as a listless performance that gave new life to the Romney campaign.
In an email with the phrase "This is big, big news" in the subject line, Obama campaign manager Jim Messina said the money came from 1.8 million people, including 567,000 who donated for the first time. In the announcement, Mr. Messina said that 98% of contributions came from small donations of $250 or less.
"The jobs numbers and the campaign-finance numbers will take Democrats out of group therapy and keep them focused on the urgent task ahead of re-electing the president," Robert Zimmerman, a New York-based Democratic National Committee member and an Obama fundraiser, said in an interview Saturday.
Though Mr. Obama hasn't had a better fundraising month in this cycle, he took in more than $190 million in September 2008, the Obama campaign said Saturday.
Write to Peter Nicholas at [email protected]
The total, which includes money raised jointly with Democratic Party affiliates, far surpasses anything Mr. Obama or Republican challenger Mitt Romney have raised in any prior month of the 2012 election cycle.
In August, the Obama campaign took in $114 million while the Romney campaign collected $111 million. At the time, both those numbers were monthly records for the two campaigns.
The Romney campaign hasn't yet released its September fundraising total.
Associated PressObama arrives to speak at a campaign event in Cleveland on Friday.
The U.S. unemployment rate fell to its lowest level in more than three years in September. How will this data impact the presidential campaign and will it give President Obama a boost just a month before election? Sara Murray has details on Lunch Break. Photo: Getty Images.
Mr. Obama's fundraising, coupled with a decline in the unemployment rate announced Friday, are heartening developments for supporters who were disappointed with the president's performance in his debate with Mr. Romney in Denver on Oct. 3. Mr. Obama turned in what was widely seen as a listless performance that gave new life to the Romney campaign.
In an email with the phrase "This is big, big news" in the subject line, Obama campaign manager Jim Messina said the money came from 1.8 million people, including 567,000 who donated for the first time. In the announcement, Mr. Messina said that 98% of contributions came from small donations of $250 or less.
"The jobs numbers and the campaign-finance numbers will take Democrats out of group therapy and keep them focused on the urgent task ahead of re-electing the president," Robert Zimmerman, a New York-based Democratic National Committee member and an Obama fundraiser, said in an interview Saturday.
Though Mr. Obama hasn't had a better fundraising month in this cycle, he took in more than $190 million in September 2008, the Obama campaign said Saturday.
Write to Peter Nicholas at [email protected]