1:09 a.m. | Updated The revised version of this post is available here.
Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign shot past President Obama’s in fund-raising in May, collecting more than $76.8 million — nearly $17 million more than his rival.
The Republican fund-raising haul — the first full month that Mr. Romney and the Republican National Committee were in partnership — was nearly double what was collected the prior month.
And it easily topped Mr. Obama’s fund-raising in May. The president’s campaign announced on Thursday that its joint fund-raising operation with the Democratic National Committee had raised $60 million.
A statement from Mr. Romney’s campaign said the campaign and the Republican National Committee ended May with $107 million in cash.
“It is clear that people aren’t willing to buy into ‘hope & change’ again,” said Spencer Zwick, Mr. Romney’s national finance chairman. “Voters are making an investment because they believe that it will benefit the country.”
The surge in fund-raising for Mr. Romney came even as he clinched the delegates necessary to become the Republican nominee — a green light for Republican donors who might have been on the sidelines throughout the primary process. It also paved the way for the Republican National Committee to link its operations and fund-raising efforts with the Romney campaign.
Aides to Mr. Obama said they were not especially worried because they had expected Mr. Romney to have a good fund-raising month. They said some Republican donors likely gave the maximum they could in May and will not be able to give again in the coming months.
But the financial comparisons underscores the concern that Mr. Obama’s campaign has expressed to supporters over the past several months about the need for stepped-up financial contributions.
Democrats have warned that despite the president’s fund-raising prowess, he could be outspent during the upcoming months as Mr. Romney’s spending is supplemented by historic levels of fund-raising by outside political groups, particularly “super PACs.”
Mr. Obama’s campaign announced his total on Twitter Thursday morning, saying that the average donation was just more than $50. The $60 million includes money raised directly by his campaign and by the Democratic National Committee.
“The campaign raised more than $60 million across committees in May,” the president said. “Thanks to everyone who chipped in.”
The campaign and the Democratic committee raised $43.6 million in April, about the same amount as Mitt Romney raised that month.
The announcement by Mr. Obama comes two days after Republicans succeeded in beating back the recall of Scott Walker, the governor of Wisconsin, who had a big lead over his opponent in campaign cash.
Mr. Obama held a fund-raiser with Hollywood celebrities, including the actor George Clooney, in early May, just after he announced his support for same-sex marriage. The event reportedly raised $15 million for Mr. Obama’s campaign.
Democrats had worried whether Mr. Obama’s public support for the issue would cost him support in important swing states like Virginia and North Carolina. But the decision was hailed by supporters of Mr. Obama’s in the gay community, and it appears to have bolstered fund-raising for the president among wealthy members of that group.
