Obama's Campaign War Chest Grows Larger

The other day I said the Republicans needed the super-PACs to compete with President Obama in the coming election. After the fundraising announced by the White House for January of this year, that is even more true now. In January, President Obama raised more than $29 million (some of which he will share with the party). He has now totaled over $250 million in fundraising.

In the last three months of 2011, the president averaged more than $23 million a month -- far more than any of his Republican competitors (and they are busy spending their money fighting each other). The January haul by the president shows he is now kicking his fundraising efforts into high gear. He has just completed a three-day swing of the West coast, which is expected to net him at least another $8 million. February is probably going to be as good as January was.

With the Republican nomination race now looking like it will go at least another couple of months (and maybe longer), it is doubtful that whoever wins will be able to match the president in campaign fundraising. They are currently spending like mad to get the nomination and possible donors can't know who the eventual winner will be yet to replenish those funds. That means the Republican candidate will depend heavily on the super-PACs to compete with the president.

But even that might not work as well as Republicans hope. The president has encouraged Democratic donors to give to Democratic super-PACs, and with the president's encouragement the giving to Democratic super-PACs will probably pick up speed now.

In the past, Democrats have struggled to keep up with the campaign dollars of the Republicans. That won't be the case this year. The Democrats will have the money to compete. Let's just hope they spend it wisely.

NOTE -- The president's campaign says that 98% of the $29 million raised in January was from contributions of $250 or less.