Fundraising

Romney's campaign fund took in $6.5 million in January, but expenditures were nearly triple that amount.

Paul has $1.6 million cash in hand and expects to exceed his fourth-quarter fundraising total of $13.4 million.

Democrats are off to a fast start on the fundraising front for the year, with the three major Democratic campaign committees all beating their Republican counterparts for January.

House Democrats outraised House Republicans, Senate Democrats outraised Senate Democrats, and the national Democratic Party raised about $7 million more than the GOP.

Fundraising figures from congressional committees, the national party and President Obama's reelection campaign suggest Obama's struggling poll numbers and frustration with the economy aren't keeping Democratic donors from opening their wallets.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee pulled in just over $6 million in January to the National Republican Congressional Committee's $4.8 million. Despite Democrats being in the minority, it was the DCCC's best January ever, an aide said.

But House Republicans have a larger war chest, topping the Democrats' $13 million by about $4.5 million. For the NRCC, it was the best January since 2007. Both committees are free of debt.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry would like to transition his presidential campaign funds into a political action committee, according to a new request filed with the Federal Election Commission this week.

Perry’s presidential election committee sent a request to the FEC indicating it “would like to potentially use both new contributions and residual funds in its primary-election account to finance its activities once it transitions to non-connected PAC status,” according to a letter dated Feb. 13 sent to the FEC by Salvatore Purpura, Perry’s presidential campaign treasurer.

It’s raining super-PACs at the Federal Election Commission.

The watchdog group Democracy 21 has asked the Justice Department to investigate whether super-PACs supporting President Obama and Mitt Romney have violated campaign finance laws.

Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer said the recent announcements that Obama officials and Romney aides would be appearing at events with the political action committees constitutes "illegal activities." 

Under the law, super-PACS are not allowed to coordinate with candidates, their committees "or any agent of the candidate or his campaign." 

Restore Our Future, a pro-Romney super-PAC, reported $23.6 million cash on hand at the end of 2011.

President Obama said Tuesday night that he is convinced the nation is on the right track but the road to his reelection will be a "tough" one. 

The president said his campaign would be challenged by the "economic reality" but "not because of the ideas of the other side."

Speaking to an intimate crowd of donors who paid more than $35,000 per couple to attend the fundraiser, Obama acknowledged that many Americans have gone through "three years of really tough times."

"They don't experience the economy in some abstract way,” Obama said, speaking at the Maryland home of Stewart Bainum, the chairman of Choice Hotels International. “They experience it in terms of not being able to find a job, or their house being underwater, or their kids having to come back, even after they've gotten a college education, in tens of thousands of dollars in debt and still not being able to find a job.

Six Democratic senators facing tough reelection bids brought in big bucks in the final months of 2011.

Michele Bachmann received $1.7 million in contributions the last quarter of 2011, Federal Election Commission fillings show, but she was also a million dollars in debt.

Her filings with the FEC show the Bachmann for President committee is almost $1.06 million in debt, but her campaign points out that when combined with her other fundraising committee — MicheleBachmann.com — the outstanding obligations would be closer to $447,000.