Nearly two-thirds of the $86 million raised by President Barack Obama for his re-election effort in recent months came from small donations of under $200 or less, according to filings released on Friday.
Obama released top-line data on his campaign from April to June earlier this week which showed him breaking a prior fundraising record by former president George W. Bush. Obama's campaign raised $47 million on its own and another $39 million was generated by the Democratic National Committee (DNC).
The data underscored the campaign's promise of targeting small-dollar donations instead of powerful political action committees, as the Democratic incumbent seeks re-election in 2012. More than 65 percent of the funds raised by the Democratic incumbent's campaign, Obama for America, were from donations of $200 or less, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings. On average, 61 percent of contributions made to the DNC were less than $200.
Obama's incumbency has allowed him to raise more than his Republican rivals, who have to battle each other while seeking their party's presidential nomination and who lack a national committee. The Republican front-runner Mitt Romney raised $18.25 million in the second quarter, with just $1 million, or about 6 percent, coming from donations of $200 or less, according to campaign filings.