Obama Campaign Sets Fundraising Record, Raises $181 Million In September

President Obama’s campaign collected more than $181 million during September.

According to the Wall Street Journal it is the most money the Obama campaign has raised in a single month during the 2012 election.

Campaign manager Jim Messina said that the money came from 1.8 million people. Messina also said that September’s haul included more than 500,000 first time donors. Nearly all of the donations (98%) came from “small donations” of $250 or less.

The Romney campaign has not released its September numbers yet.

The Wall Street Journal points to the Democratic Convention as the source of the fundraising bump. Obama, and speakers like Bill Clinton and Joe Biden energized the Democratic base and brought in a surge of funds.

The Romney campaign could be experiencing a similar boost at the moment. After the first Presidential Debate, Democrats were left confused by Obama’s performance while the Republicans felt re-energized. It’s unclear if Romney has seen a boost in campaign funds but he has seen a boost at the polls.

Despite the President’s lackluster performance at the first debate, Robert Zimmerman, a New York-based Democratic National Committee member, said that recent job numbers and September’s fundraising record should get Democrats focused on re-electing Obama.

Zimmerman wrote:

“The jobs numbers and the campaign-finance numbers will take Democrats out of group therapy and keep them focused on the urgent task ahead of re-electing the president.”

According to the Wall Street Journal, the $181 million raised this September by the President is the record for the 2012 election campaign so far. Still, it is well below the $190 million that Obama took in during September in 2008.

Do you think this will be Obama’s best month during the 2012 election cycle? Will Romney top his fundraising efforts in October?