Obama Raises $68M in 4Q, $222M in 2011

Updated from 9:52 a.m. ET with links to FEC documents to 2003 RNC receipts

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- President Barack Obama's re-election campaign and the Democratic National Committee raised some $68 million in the fourth quarter of 2011 as the incumbent raised his total 2011 war chest to $222 million, campaign manager Jim Messina announced Thursday.

Obama's campaign received donations from 1.3 million donors in 2011, 98% of which were contributions of $250 or less, but the fourth-quarter total trailed the $70.4 million to $77.4 million former President George W. Bush and the Republican National Committee (October, November and December) raised during the same period in 2003 ahead of his reelection bid.

Obama campaign manager Jim Messina

"Too many Obama supporters think we don't need their money, or they don't need to give now, in fact in the past week I've gotten emails that say, 'Oh, you don't need our money now,' or, 'You're going to raise $1 billion,'" Messina said in a YouTube video. "The $1 billion number is completely untrue."

Obama's quarter was far ahead of the $24 million Mitt Romney raised, and his 2011 total was almost four times more than the $56 million the former Massachusetts governor raised.

Obama's campaign didn't release how much cash it has on hand, but at the end of the 2003 fourth-quarter reporting period, Bush had $99.1 million. Romney currently has $19 million in cash on hand, but his campaign was quick to note that it has not raised general election funds.

-- Written by Joe Deaux in New York.

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