Axelrod brushes off Romney's big money month
(CNN) - The senior strategist for President Barack Obama's re-election team said he's "not surprised" his campaign raised less money last month than Republican rival Mitt Romney.
David Axelrod attributed Romney's May haul of $77 million to the end of the Republican primary season, allowing the presumptive GOP nominee to shore up cash that was previously going to a crowded field of contenders.
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"You pick up all the money that you couldn't raise in the primary from Republicans who were supporting other candidates," Axelrod said on CNN's "The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer." "So we anticipated this."
Romney's fundraising totals came from a joint effort between Romney for President, Romney Victory, and the Republican National Committee. The figure marked a big jump from April, when he took in $40.1 million.
Since the beginning of April, Romney's rivals Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich have dropped out of the race. The former Massachusetts governor also crossed the 1,144 delegate threshold for the August convention, essentially clinching the GOP presidential nomination.
Obama's campaign, meanwhile, announced Thursday it raised $60 million in May, an amount also divided between the re-election campaign, the Democratic National Committee and affiliated Democratic state parties.
While Romney's numbers were higher in May, the Republican effort said they ended May with $107 million in the bank. Obama's campaign did not disclose their cash on hand for May, though they ended April with $115 million.
Responding to the Romney fund-raising announcement, Obama campaign press secretary Ben LaBolt tweeted: "Reminder on RNC/Romney camp fundraising: 1st month joint committee was in existence, so all their primary donors wrote their maxout checks."
Romney and the RNC joined fund-raising forces beginning May 8.
- CNN's Kevin Liptak and Ashley Killough contributed to this report.
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"The middle class and poor will not vote for Romney."
Well, as long as they're not rabid racists they won't vote for Romney. The rest, as usual, will vote against their best interests!
Ask Romney if he is willing to donate all of his $200 to $300 million to help to pay off USA debt but he can keep his $10 million so in that way we can see if he truly cares about our country.
Obama needs more money than Romney in his attempt to make his lies look like the truth. He needs to repeat those lies at least four times as often as Romney's response. With even amount of campaign cash, Obama is toast. He needs to have at least three times the money of Romney to make the race competitive.
Obama fear and envy campaign only works on people who sees themselves as victims and victims never succeed.
It's to bad money is the name of of the game in amy election. There should be limits on spending, this has gotten so far out of control and no election should run more than 3 months long. There needs to be reform on money and length of time. I also think a term for President should be six years , and can not be elected again.
@Maggie
No honey, we Libs aren't scared at all! See when all is said and done, real Americans...not you, will decide the outcome of this election! Real patriotic Americans will remember that it was GWB and the Republicans who destroyed our economy at home and murdered our troops abroad! Real Americans will remember that it was President Obama who inherited an economic crisis and and an inflated national debt from the Republicans! Real Americans will remember that it was the Republicans and their Tea Party who have played games with the American people and deliberately stalled progress to see the President and the country fail. No honey, we Liba aren't running scared at all because at least we have a progressive record to run on and our integrity and character are still in tact and we Libs will win this election by a landslide! Obama/Biden 2012!
Mitt Romney Does not have enough funds raise money, to battle against President Barack Obama. Don't need a big amount of money to win , when the truth has been spoken. Thanks.
America, doomed to implode, if the conservative right get's it's grubby hands on her again. America, as she is still recovering from the dirty hands of the rich and greedy, pillaging, plundering, raping and gutting her very essence, while prostituting her out to any foreign tom, dick or harry who would have her . . . Mainly, the groping hands of China. Hands off Republican leadership, haven't you done enough?