Romney, RNC raise $101 million in July

By Rick Moran

This is down slightly from their June total of $106 million, but nevertheless represents a very respectable haul.

The campaign, the Republican National Committee and state parties participating in his joint fundraising had $185.9 million in cash reserves at the end of the month, his campaign announced in an early morning e-mail.

"Once again, we see that for many people this is more than a campaign, it is a cause," Romney finance chairman Spencer Zwick and RNC Chairman Reince Priebus said in a joint statement.

The campaign did not disclose how much of Romney's cash reserves are set aside for the general election. That is money he cannot tap until month's end when he is formally nominated at his party's convention in Tampa.

President Obama has not yet released July fundraising totals; Romney and the Republican Party raised more than their Democratic rivals in May and June.

The total announced today by Romney includes hauls from fundraisers last month in London and Jerusalem.

This election marks the first since 1972 in which neither candidate is accepting public money. As a result, Romney, Obama and their surrogates have maintained a heavy schedule of fundraisers coast-to-coast.

Given the desperate appeals for cash from Obama to his supporters last month, it is reasonable to assume that for the third month in a row, the Republicans outraised the Obama campaign.

More importantly, Romney's cash on hand is now a comfortable $186 million. When Obama's numbers come out, it is possible, due to the speed with which the president is burning through cash, that Romney will have far more than the president in cash reserves. That bodes well with the conventions right around the corner and the traditional start of the fall campaign on Labor Day less than a month away.