The Mitt Romney presidential campaign raised $67 million in August — more than a tenth from retirees — as a slew of new campaign finance reports were made public Thursday.
The campaign spent $13 million on advertising, and $12 million on fundraising. President Obama has out-advertised his Republican opponent — 1,300 ad buys to 485, a number that reflects both the scale and geographic reach of the president’s re-election drive.
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More than 100,000 people gave $200 or more to the Republican presidential campaign in August, according to new filings with federal officials, with 20 percent making their first-ever donation. Thirteen percent “maxed out,” meaning they gave the $2,500 maximum and are barred from giving more.
The super PAC run by former Romney staffers, Restore Our Future, reported that it had raised $7 million last month and spent $21 million, leaving it less than $7 million in the bank, and meaning it will need to attract more large donations if it intends to unleash a barrage of last-minute ads. Its largest donation came in the form of a $1 million check from Robert Parsons, the chairman of Web domain registrar Go Daddy.
The super PAC totals for August mark a reversal of the major presidential independent groups, with the long-beleaguered Obama super PAC, Priorities USA, actually posting better numbers for the month. Priorities USA, raised $10.1 million in August and spent slightly less. Priorities USA had $5 million in the bank as of Sept. 1, slightly less than Restore Our Future.
The Democratic group made a nearly $3 million television ad buy Thursday to go after Mr. Romney. Restore Our Future has been quiet of late, and Thursday’s federal filings suggest the reason why.
Among Priorities USA top donors, a carpenters’ union gave $500,000, and a public employees union chipped in $250,000.
James H. Simons, chairman of Renaissance Technologies in New York, was the PAC’s largest donor at $2 million.
Months after they provided the foundation of his fundraising operation, Mr. Romney’s campaign still relies heavily on the finance industry for much of its funding.
Mr. Romney’s top funders, by employer, were Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse at more than $100,000, Elliot Management, HIG Capital, Morgan Stanley and Kirkland & Ellis, at more than $75,000 each, followed by Blackstone, Goldman Sachs and Bain Capital, Mr. Romney’s former firm.
