Pro-Obama super PAC raises $4 million in May

Washington (CNN) – Priorities USA Action, the independent super PAC supporting President Barack Obama's re-election bid, raised $4 million in May and more than $40 million this election cycle, a spokesperson with the group said Wednesday.

The $4 million haul in May is a higher total for Priorities USA than April, when the group brought in $1.6 million, and March, when they raised $2.5 million. The super PAC said Wednesday that fund-raising for June already appears to be outpacing May.

The group has so far spent $15 million to help re-elect Obama. The bulk of the spending from the pro-Obama group, which is run in part by former Obama White House aides, came in a five-state television ad campaign focusing on Mitt Romney's tenure as chief executive of Bain Capital. The group spent $10 million to air the spots in Colorado, Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia, all battleground states.

Additionally, Priorities USA spent $4 million to air Spanish-language spots in Colorado, Florida and Nevada, and $1 million for spots tying Romney to large oil companies that will air in Colorado and Nevada.

The spokesperson said Wednesday the organization plans to spend $25 million by the end of the summer on television ads.

GOP super PACs, including Restore Our Future and American Crossroads, have thus far out-raised Priorities USA this election cycle. Restore Our Future, a group created to help elect Romney, raised $4.96 million in May, according to documents filed with the Federal Election Commission Wednesday. American Crossroads, co-founded by Karl Rove, has not yet disclosed their May fund-raising figures.

May's increase in fund-raising for Priorities USA comes months after the president's re-election campaign announced it would urge donors to contribute to the group. The move in February represented a reversal of Obama's position on the third-party spending giants, which were made increasingly possible by the 2010 U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the Citizens United case.