According to The Associated Press, President Barack Obama raised a combined $53 million for his campaign, the Democratic Party and other campaign funds in March, his campaign said Monday as it prepared to face Mitt Romney and a rejuvenated GOP in the general election.
Obama has collected nearly $350 million since the start of the campaign last year, representing a boost in campaign cash compared with recent months. He has raised about $127 million for his campaign, the Democratic National Committee and other campaign funds since the beginning of 2012.
Obama has entered a new phase in which he faces a direct challenge from Romney, who has begun raising money jointly with the Republican National Committee to overcome the president’s fundraising edge. The RNC raised $13.7 million in March, its best month of the election cycle and has $32.7 million in cash.
Romney had raised about $75 million through the end of February and ended the month with about $7.2 million in the bank. His campaign was expected to announce fundraising totals for March this week.
Obama’s campaign had $84.7 million in cash-on-hand through the end of February and was expected to detail its cash position in an upcoming report with the Federal Election Commission.
Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.