Obama, raising an unprecedented amount of money from wealthy donors who gave the maximum allowed.
Just 22 percent of his cash has come from donations of less than $200. Through the end of September, 45 percent of checks to Mr. Romney’s campaign were for the maximum $2,500 contribution.Neither candidate is likely to raise as much money directly for his own presidential committee as Mr.
Obama did in 2008. A flood of online donations that year, and support from many traditionally Republican donors, helped Mr. Obama raise $748 million for his presidential committee. The D.N.C.
raised another $244 million, bringing the combined total to a little under $1 billion. This time around, Mr. Obama, as an incumbent, has raised more of his total through the D.N.C.,
which can accept five-figure checks from each of Mr. Obama’s wealthiest supporters. By raising more money from his very biggest and very smallest donors,
Mr. Obama has been able to offset his losses from the business world and from previous contributors who gave less or not at all this time, whether because of the recession or fading enthusiasm.
Mr. Romney, after becoming the presumptive Republican nominee in the spring,
almost immediately began a fund-raising effort with the Republican National Committee,
several state parties and the two Congressional campaign committees.
Mr. Romney’s total through September included about $13.6 million that was raised for and transferred to the National Republican Senatorial Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee
.The overall totals do not include hundreds of millions of dollars being raised and spent by “super PACs” and other outside groups, mostly to benefit Mr. Romney and other Republicans.
