Washington:
US President Barack Obama raised $181 million in September, his campaign said on Saturday, in a huge boost for his re-election bid following a limp debate performance against Mitt Romney.
The haul was the biggest monthly cash take by Mr Obama of the 2012 campaign, and comes just a day after supporters disappointed by the debate got another pick up with news that the unemployment rate dipped below eight percent.
It means Mr Obama will have ample money to splash on an advertising blitz in the countdown to the election, exactly a month away on November 6, and with 1.8 million donors in the month is an impressive display of grass roots support.
Republican nominee Mr Romney has yet to reveal his monthly fundraising figures for September, but early predictions that he would outspend Obama by a distance appear to have been unfounded.
Mr Romney however does have the support of an array of SuperPAC independent fundraising committees financed by rich donors and corporations, that can spend unlimited sums to attack Mr Obama and outnumber similar Democratic organizations.
Mr Obama's campaign manager Jim Messina alerted supporters to the news of his fundraising coup in an email on Saturday morning.
"I have some huge news, and I want you to be the first to hear about it," Mr Messina said.
"We not only surpassed 10 million donations so far in 2012 to the campaign and the Democratic Party which is a historic record for grassroots politics.
"We also raised $181 million in September from 1.8 million Americans, more than 567,000 of whom gave for the first time. That's by far our biggest month yet."
Mr Messina said the average donation was $53 and 98 percent of contributions amounted to $250 or less.