Republican US presidential challenger Mitt Romney raked in $106 million in June, sending incumbent Barack Obama a warning that he will give him a run for his money in the November election.Romney and the Republican National Committee now have $160 million in cash on hand, the campaign said Monday, as the candidate gears up for a fierce four-month White House battle.
Four years ago the Obama camp bludgeoned rival John McCain with its own historic fundraising juggernaut, but last month its fundraisers fell $35 million (Sh2.9 billion) behind its new Republican rival Romney.
The Democrat's campaign immediately placed Romney's impressive June tally at the heart of an opportunistic appeal to donors, telling them in an email that "we could lose if this continues."
June marked a second straight month of fundraising dominance for Romney. "Last month, the GOP side out-raised and they called it a onetime fluke. Well, it happened again," RNC spokesman Sean Spicer boasted in an email.
Romney's $106.1-million haul is a record for 2012 and well above the $71 million announced by Obama's re-election campaign.
Meanwhile, President Barack Obama challenged Congress on Monday to end tax breaks for the wealthy while protecting working families.