President Obama and Democrats reportedly raised a whopping $181 million in September, setting a new record for this campaign cycle. The total of the money raised by the campaign and the Democratic National Committee shatters the already optimistic predictions that said Obama’s haul was expected to be around $150 million, and marks a significant improvement from the $114 million raised in August. Although the amount still fell short of the approximately $191 million Obama and the Democrats raised in the same month of 2008, it still provided some much-needed good news to the president’s supporters following what was largely seen as a disappointing debate performance, points out the New York Times.
The total pushes the amount raised for the president’s campaign this cycle to $947 million, making it virtually certain it will surpass the $1 billion mark, notes the Los Angeles Times. Mitt Romney hasn’t released September totals yet but his campaign says his strong debate performance Wednesday led to around $12 million in online donations, as well as a boost in volunteers and crowds, reports the Wall Street Journal.
Announcing the total on Twitter Saturday morning, Barack Obama’s campaign said 1.8 million people donated, with 98 percent of contributions totaling $250 or less, and an average contribution of $53, according to the campaign. Since Obama announced he would be running for re-election last year, his campaign has received donations from almost 4 million people.
The announcement came a day before Obama is set to travel to California for a big money-raising push, including a fundraiser with Bill Clinton and a concert with performances by Stevie Wonder, Jon Bon Jovi, Katy Perry, and Jennifer Hudson, among others, reports the Los Angeles Times.
