Obama for America raised more money in September than it spent. Obama's September haul: $126M

President Barack Obama’s campaign committee sat atop a nearly $100 million cash mountain going into October after collecting an election cycle best of $126 million the previous month, a new filing with the Federal Election Commission released late Friday indicated.

Obama therefore finds himself controlling massive financial resources in the final days before Election Day to counter a fundraising bump for Republican challenger Mitt Romney following the Democrat’s dismal performance in the first of the three presidential debates.


That Obama for America raised more money in September than it spent ($115.55 million) indicates the campaign’s relentless fundraising efforts are paying off — although it also took out a $15 million loan from Bank of American on Sept. 4 that records show is due Nov. 14.

From far-flung, big-dollar fundraisers to a barrage of email solicitations and quasi-contests seeking contributions of $5 or $10, Obama’s campaign has made collecting cash a top priority in the election’s most critical stage, particularly after posting mediocre fundraising numbers throughout much of this year.

The Obama campaign ended September with more than $11 million in reserve beyond the $88.7 million it had at the end of August, and of late, has overtaken Romney’s campaign in the dash for campaign cash.

The campaign in September raised $96.35 million of its haul from individuals, with $33 million of that amount coming from donors who gave $200 or less. Most of the rest of the money it raised — $28.5 million — came in the form of transfers from other authorized political committees.

Romney’s campaign, which ended August with about $50 million in the bank, has yet to formally file its September financial report and has until Saturday night to do so.

Earlier this week, Romney’s camp said it would raise $170 million during September in conjunction with the Republican National Committee, but offered no further breakdown or cash on hand balances.

But late Friday, the RNC reported raising $48.4 million, suggesting that the Romney’s campaign alone raised just short of the amount Obama’s campaign did last month.

Of the money the Obama campaign spent in September, $89.7 million of it went toward media buys, production and consulting, records show. Online advertising accounted for another $4.8 million.

Other major September expenditures include payroll ($3.3 million); travel and lodging ($3 million); staging, sound and lighting ($2.99 million); polling ($1.85 million), credit card fees ($1.82 million); telemarketing ($535,000), insurance ($488,000) and computer equipment and software ($348,400)

It also paid $62,782 to rent from Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign committee personal information about people who supported the current secretary of state.

Obama’s campaign committee does owe nearly 50 vendors a collective $2.63 million, its report shows. Among the top creditors: Bully Pulpit Interactive for online advertising ($1,184,201), American Express for travel and lodging expenses ($192,549) and Blue State Digital for website services ($181,682).

And think you pay a lot for gasoline? The Obama campaign’s September fuel costs exceed $19,600.