Barack Obama, Mitt Romney Fundraising Outpaces Field [INTERACTIVE GRAPHIC]

Presidential candidates have combined to raise more than $275 million this cycle, preparing for a campaign likely to be the costliest ever.

The candidates filed reports detailing their fourth-quarter fundraising on Tuesday. President Obama remains well ahead of all the Republican candidates, and Mitt Romney, as the GOP front-runner, leads his primary opponents.

Use this interactive graphic to see how much each candidate has raised over time. Select different states to see each candidate's fundraising on a regional level.

Comments

[MoreFreedom]

10:28 AM on 02/03/2012

The amount of money raised, especially raised by bundlers, is a good measure of how much politicians will give government favors at our expense.

Voters have a choice, they can follow the money (and find themselves further indebted) or they can follow the constitution.

[Miami Don]

02:14 PM on 02/02/2012

There's a lot more money floating around than there legally should be according to an article today in Mother Jones:

"Inside the GOP's Dark-Money-Moving Machine; Guest post by Andy Kroll: "Created in December 2009 and shut down shortly after the election, RGA Michigan 2010 came out of nowhere that year to spend nearly $8.4 million—54 percent more than any other PAC had poured into any election in Michigan history. Ninety-six percent of the group's donors lived outside the state, and its top three funders included Texas homebuilder Bob Perry, Koch Industries' David Koch, and New York City hedge fund CEO Paul Singer. On the other side of the ledger, RGA Michigan 2010 had given $5.2 million to the Michigan Republican Party—no surprise there—but, mysteriously, it had also funneled $3 million into the campaign coffers of Texas Gov. Rick Perry."…" Robinson and other campaign finance watchdogs liken the RGA's methods to the corporate-contribution laundering scheme that got former GOP congressman Tom DeLay indicted. "The whole thing," Robinson says of the RGA's tactics, "was about wiping the fingerprints off the money." http://motherjones.com/politics/2012/01/republican-governors-association-perry-michigan"

(I know; who would suspect the Republicans money was so dirty that they had to launder it?)

[sallysuelee]

12:40 PM on 02/02/2012

"As the Center for Responsive Politics points out, the president has raised more from small donors than Romney has raised from all donors."

[garystartswithg]

01:48 AM on 02/02/2012

I wouldn't even buy a burger from Hermain Cain -- what idiot gave him 17 million?

[nostoptilthetop]

09:30 AM on 02/02/2012

he sells pizza's....not burgers. lol

[TheAntiOkie]

01:13 PM on 02/02/2012

And you DON'T want one of his nasty grease saturated horrors pretending to be pizza..

[D-V-H]

12:25 AM on 02/02/2012

You can win the fundraising with the 1%, but you can't win an election with 1%.

[mistajefferson]

01:31 AM on 02/02/2012

a lot of the 99% are easily and unconsciously purchased. Just pretend to share their conservative ideas & fears and they've got your back.

[garystartswithg]

01:50 AM on 02/02/2012

If you are like me and don't watch tv you are pretty much unaware how the useful innocents are purchased, and they go cheap in the sale too.

[Taliese]

10:57 PM on 02/01/2012

M
e
g

Whit-----man thought she could buy an election too, Rm0ney. You see where all her millions got her. What she lacked was votes.

[garystartswithg]

01:51 AM on 02/02/2012

Romney isn't a sociopath like Meggers and Carly, he isn't using his own money, thats stupid.

[Taliese]

04:04 AM on 02/02/2012

I'd beg to differ on the-s0ci0path thingie. lol

Some classic traits:

• Glib and superficial
• Egocentric and grandiose
• Lack of remorse or guilt
• Lack of empathy
• Deceitful and manipulative
• Shallow emotions
• Impulsive
• Poor behavior controls

[nostoptilthetop]

09:31 AM on 02/02/2012

Romney used a ton of his own money last election....and that didn't pan out too well for him lol

[trickledown]

10:56 PM on 02/01/2012

Wonder just how much the one 1% percent are willing spend to keep their wealth?

[garystartswithg]

01:52 AM on 02/02/2012

its worked for them for the last 32 yrs -- why would they expect anything different?

[IndependentAngle]

10:28 PM on 02/01/2012

In hindsight, Gingrich should have been more aggressive with fund-raising in late Nov and early December when his star was on the rise, and used that to defend himself from Romney's lethal attacks in IA (as well as attacked back some) and closed the show with a win there.

[HCLiberal]

10:15 PM on 02/01/2012

Ron Paul raised almost double than Newt and Sick Rantorum combined, and yet came in last in Florida.

What's up with that, Woowoos?

[darksigns84]

11:06 PM on 02/01/2012

He didnt spend any money in Florida because it would have been a waste when you have millionaire Romney basically buying votes, and it is an all or nothing state with regard to delegates.

The population of elderly in Florida is very large, and they do not use the internet for things like searching politics and rely on the mainstream media which pushes the candidates they want.

Paul did this as a smart move and went on to the states where his money would be spent wisely and where there a more followers who do the research and know the truth behind Dr Paul, and not mainstream media rhetoric.

[HCLiberal]

11:13 PM on 02/01/2012

How about other states. He doesn't even come close to winning any, an never has in his some 104 tries thus far.

His problem is not because people do not know about him. It is that they do.

[Carmen Madonna Campos]

10:07 PM on 02/01/2012

President Barack Obama is soooooooo gonna win in November!!!!!

[darksigns84]

11:07 PM on 02/01/2012

Another 4 years of nothing, except accumulated debt, expanded overseas military, and a drain on our economy.

[GemsBond007]

11:17 PM on 02/01/2012

Would you say the Bush years were 8 years of everything, accumulated credit, thoughtful military ventures and a surplus in our economy?

[ywcachieve]

01:26 AM on 02/02/2012

To dartksigns84: Clink on this link, and eat your words.

http://oba­maachievem­ents.org/l­ist

[flossophy]

09:57 PM on 02/01/2012

I'm going with the pu.dgy anti-establishment historian ... instead of the establishment's p!ast!c candidate with piles of Wall street money.

[TheBestPatriot]

10:04 PM on 02/01/2012

How many independents will he get by claiming he isn't concerned about the very poor?

[flossophy]

10:34 PM on 02/01/2012

I know... Mitt's mouth is going to get him into trouble.

[D-V-H]

12:27 AM on 02/02/2012

You mean the_pudgy FREDDIE MAC historian, don't you?

[flossophy]

02:14 AM on 02/02/2012

They clearly didn't heed his advice.

[ClassicLeft]

08:45 PM on 02/01/2012

it doesn't matter who raises more money... we all know corporations will invest much more money on the secret super PACs...

For the first time in US history foreign money will be able to buy an election.

[luckydog1857]

07:56 PM on 02/01/2012

President Dwight Eisenhower, Republican, wrote these words to his brother (President of Penn State at the time) on November 8, 1954:

"Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes that you can do these things. Among them are a few Texas oil millionaires, and an occasional politician or businessman from other areas. Their number is negligible and they are stupid ."

SPREAD THE WORD!!

[DocJoseph]

07:49 PM on 02/01/2012

Why not just make dollars into votes? The one with the most votes wins.

You can vote as many times as you like for as many candidates as you like. If you vote often enough and your candidate wins (even if you voted for all candidates), you can even tell the winner of the election what you want him or her to do.

It's as Americans as White Alba Truffles.

[Figerre]

08:34 PM on 02/01/2012

We do -- it's called Citizens United.

[proudtohaveserved]

02:29 PM on 02/02/2012

FIGERRE AND don't forget the us supreme court.as crooked as they come

[webwzrd]

07:09 PM on 02/01/2012

The 2012 elections (wink wink) will be held at Christies along with a fine collection of abstract paintings and sculptures executed in exquisite bs mixed with elephant and donkey dung. All Super Pacs are required to register their bids by Nov 1st.