Romney, Post-Debates, Nets $111.8 Million

CINCINNATI — Mitt Romney has raised $111.8 million in the first half of October, a campaign aide said today.

“BOOM: In first half of October alone, @mittromney effort raised $111.8 million,” spokeswoman Andrea Saul wrote in a tweet.

In an e-mail to donors, Romney’s National Finance Chair Spencer Zwick wrote, “We are proud to announce that the Romney Victory Effort raised $111 million from Oct. 1-17.”

“We are a successful finance team because of you, the members of the National Finance Committee,” Zwick wrote. “In these final days of the campaign, we know that you brought us to this point and that your support will carry us through to victory on November 6th.” The impressive fundraising numbers come during the time period of three of the four debates.

Romney participated in presidential debates on October 3 and October 16, and his runningmate Paul Ryan faced off in the veep debate on October 11.

Saul announced following the first debate that the campaign had raised more than $12 million over 48 hours.

Romney’s biggest full month fundraising haul to date came in September, when the campaign and the RNC reported raising $170.4 million. President Obama’s record haul also came in September, the campaign’s efforts raising $181 million.

If the Romney campaign is able to keep up its fundraising pace in the second half of October it would break a new campaign record.

“President Obama is running a smaller and smaller campaign as we approach Election Day,” said RNC Chairman Reince Priebus in a statement. “Instead of offering a vision for how to help the middle class, he is only offering the same ideas and policies that led to the last four years of falling incomes, higher debt, and more government dependency. Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan are offering a pro-growth agenda and a different course than the President. In less than two weeks, the American people will choose the Romney-Ryan ticket so that our country can finally get back on the right track.”

The Romney campaign says that it has approximately $169 million in cash on hand after October 17, and that more than 91 percent of the donations received during the time period were of $250 or less.