Obama raises more than all Republicans

Barack Obama’s re-election campaign surpassed all expectations when it announced that it had raised $86m over the last three months, far outpacing the combined total of the US president’s Republican rivals for the White House.

The figure, which included $38m raised by the Democratic National Committee, exceeded Democrats’ goal of raising $60m in the three months ending on June 30. It also underscored Mr Obama’s financial advantage heading into the 2012 campaign.

The news was released on the same day that a poll showed a rapidly changing Republican landscape. Michele Bachmann, the Minnesota congresswoman and Tea Party favourite who only recently joined the race for the White House, ranked second behind Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, in a poll of Republican hopefuls by Quinnipiac University.

The US president beat all of his potential rivals in the poll, driven mainly by strong support among women voters. While Mr Obama only narrowly defeated Mr Romney in a theoretical match-up among male voters by 45 to 44 per cent, he carried female voters 50 to 39 per cent.

In the poll, Mr Romney had 25 per cent, Ms Bachmann had 14 per cent, and former Alaska governor Sarah Palin - who is not currently in the race - had 12 per cent.

Still, there are plenty of obstacles standing in the way of Mr Obama’s re-election: he is grappling with a stubborn 9.2 per cent rate of unemployment and a stuttering economic recovery. The 2012 election is being viewed by political insiders on both sides of the aisle as a test of the power of money in campaigns at a time when upstart Tea Party candidates have trumped well-funded incumbents, and the internet has made inexpensive grassroots activism and organisation a much more potent force in elections.

Jim Messina, Mr Obama’s campaign manager, said the total amount that was raised represented a record contribution from grassroots supporters, with 98 per cent of the donations coming in at under $250. Mr Obama recently stepped up fundraising events, including in New York and in Silicon Valley, where his wealthiest contributors are concentrated. The campaign will release more information about Mr Obama’s wealthiest donors and so-called bundlers, who collect campaign cash on his behalf, in a regulatory filing on Friday.

Mr Romney raised $18.25m in the quarter ending June 30 and Tim Pawlenty, the former Minnesota governor who is trailing in the polls, raised $4.2m. Ms Bachmann is expected to release her fundraising totals on Friday. Ms Bachmann has proven to be a skillful fundraiser in the past but her fundraising totals may not be reflective of that fact because she has only been campaigning for a short period.

Mr Messina cautioned that the campaign still faced tough competition from outside conservative groups that were expected to raise $500m in the 2012 campaign season.