Obama Campaign Raised $70 Million in Third Quarter

(Newsroom America) -- The reelection campaign of President Obama reported raising $70 million in the third quarter, an amount that puts him far ahead of any prospective Republican challenger but which is less than expected.

The campaign, along with the Democratic National Committee, reported that 606,027 people donated to the campaign and gave over 766,000 donations. All but 2 percent of those were $250 or less, with the average donation being $56.

The campaign said the figures may have been lower than expected because the president had to cancel some fundraising events as he remained in Washington to battle Republicans over the budget and debt ceiling.

Still, the amount was significant for Obama, who has been falling steadily in the polls and who even went so far as to call himself the "underdog" in the race last month.

"Together, Obama for America and the DNC raised more than $70 million," said Obama campaign manager Jim Messina, in an email detailing the fundraising figures. "And it all happened during a summer when the President was focused on doing the job he was elected to do — a summer when we had to cancel a series of fundraising events and ask everyone to dig a little deeper."

In all, the campaign raised the lion's share of the funds - $42.8 million - while the DNC brought in another $27.3 million.

The campaign and the DNC reported raising $86 million in the previous quarter, after setting a goal of $60 million. Both entities had set a goal of $55 million each for the third quarter but both fell short.

© 2011 Newsroom America.

Contact Jon E. Dougherty

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