Democratic donors gave unprecedented amounts of money in September to their party’s three main “Super PACs,” federal disclosures revealed on Friday, a reflection of how wealthy Democrats’ reluctance to give to such groups has faded in the weeks before the November 6 election.
A fundraising laggard for much of the campaign, the Political Action Committee backing President Barack Obama raised more than a rival group backing Republican Mitt Romney, the second consecutive month the Democratic group has done so, Reuters reported on Sunday.
The pro-Obama group Priorities USA Action raised $15.2m in September, compared with $14.8 m for the pro-Romney group Restore Our Future, according to new filings with the Federal Election Commission.
Restore Our Future, a formidable advertising force whose attack ads on Romney’s Republican rivals helped him secure the party’s presidential nomination, began the crucial month of October with $16.6m in cash on hand.
American Crossroads, a Super PAC run by veteran Republican operative Karl Rove, on Saturday reported raising $11.7m and kicking off October with $15.8m in cash on hand.
Republican PACs have invested far more in advertising than Obama’s backers, spending $84.1m since September 10 alone, according to a Reuters analysis of disclosures through October 18. Democratic-aligned groups spent $23.1m in that time.
Early this year, many Democratic donors were reluctant to donate to PACs supporting their party’s candidates because they disliked the idea of contributing to attack ads and other negative advertising – a staple of spending by groups known as “Super PACs” because they have no limits on how much they can raise and spend.
In recent months, fundraising for Democratic PACs has accelerated to counter the waves of anti-Obama and anti-Democratic ads from Republican groups.
Priorities in September received $2m from founder of Newsweb Corp Fred Eychaner; $1.5m from billionaire hedge fund manager of Renaissance Technologies Corp James Simons; and $1m each from film director Steven Spielberg, DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg and New York lawyer David Boies Jr, according to filings.
The group had $7.3m in cash on hand at the end of last month, Saturday’s filing showed. Spending nearly three times less than Priorities in September, Restore Our Future started October with $16.6 m.
Restore’s biggest donors in September included Texas home builder Bob Perry and billionaire Harold Simmons.
Perry gave $2m in September and leads all donors with $10m contributed to Restore Our Future during this election cycle. Simmons gave $500,000 for the month, increasing his total to the group to $1.3m
Simmons is also the biggest donor to American Crossroads. The Dallas patron was the group’s biggest donor, giving $2.5m in September. Together with his firm Contran Corporation, Simmons has given $15.5m to the Super PAC.
Its other big September donors included telecommunications conglomerate Armstrong Group of Pennsylvania, which gave $1.3m, and Jay Bergman of PETCO Petroleum Corp in Illinois, who gave $1m.
The Democratic PACs seeking to help candidates win House of Representatives and Senate seats also saw donations rise in September.
Majority PAC, the group helping Democratic candidates for the Senate, announced on Friday its biggest cash haul since its creation in 2010: $10.4m in September, and another $9.7 m during the first week of October.
Its sister group, House Majority PAC, also had its best month in September and is on track to double that in October, an aide to the group said.