June and May were record-breaking fundraising months for the Romney campaign
Mitt Romney's presidential campaign increased its fundraising lead over President Barack Obama in June, official figures show.
Mr Romney and the Republicans
raised $106m (£68m), $35m more than Mr Obama and the Democrats,
who raised $71m.
Both camps raised more than in May, when the Romney bid took in $77m and the Obama camp $60m.
The totals exclude millions raised by independent groups that support each candidate.
The Obama campaign released its June numbers in an email to donors.
"If we lose this election, it will be because we didn't close
the gap enough when we had the chance," the email says, issuing another
call for donations.
Mr Obama's campaign has been regularly warning supporters
that he is in danger of becoming the first sitting president in history
to be outspent by his opponent.
Super PAC rise
Mr Romney and the Republican National Committee have an
estimated $160m cash in the bank to spend on the campaign, they
confirmed on Monday.
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SuperPac
A category of independent political
action group established by the Citizens United Supreme Court decision
that is allowed to accept and spend unlimited amounts of corporate,
individual or union cash on behalf of a candidate, often without
disclosing its sources. SuperPacs are barred from co-ordinating their
spending - usually on advertising - with the candidates they support,
but some say they in essence operate as shadow campaign committees. See
entries on Citizens United and soft money.
About 20% - or $22.8m - of money raised
by the two groups in June were from donations of $250 or less. The
campaign said it received donations from all 50 states and from
Washington DC.
Their rivals, the Obama campaign and the Democratic National
Committee, had previously reported a combined $140m cash on hand at the
end of May.
Campaign finance rules limit individuals to donations of
$2,500 per donor per election cycle. National party committees are
limited to $30,800 per donor per calendar year, but transfers can occur
between the two.
However, independent groups known as political action
committees (PACs) are allowed to fundraise without limits in order to
support a candidate - but they cannot co-ordinate with the official
campaign.
These groups are playing an increasingly prominent role in
elections. Major "super PACs" supporting Mr Romney, including Restore
our Future and American Crossroads, have raised a combined $91m.
According to Politico, backers of the main pro-Republican super PACs are aiming to raise as much as $1bn during this election cycle.
By contrast, Priorities USA Action, the main Democratic super PAC supporting Mr Obama, has raised just $40m so far,
the New York Times reported on Sunday.
Campaign on the economy
Despite its fundraising bonanza, correspondents say the Romney campaign has struggled recently to gain the initiative.
President Barack Obama spent part of last week on a bus tour of battleground states
Last week he found himself pressured on his response to the
Supreme Court healthcare ruling, and he has faced renewed scrutiny over
his financial affairs in recent days.
Several polls show the president retains a lead in some key swing states.
However, Mr Obama's re-election campaign found little to crow
about in last Friday's lacklustre jobs report - a reminder of the US
economy's precarious position, just four months before November's
election.
On Monday, Mr Obama renewed calls to extend tax cuts for those making under $250,000 - but not for those earning above that sum.
The move is not expected to pass Congress but rather help Mr
Obama frame his "economic fairness" argument in his campaign for
re-election.