Obama campaign, Democrats raise $60m in May

(AP) Obama campaign, Democrats raise $60m in May
By JULIE PACE
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES
President Barack Obama and his party together raised $60 million last month, his campaign reported Thursday.

Obama was mixing more fundraising with official business Thursday as he wrapped up a two-day West Coast trip, beginning his day in the Los Angeles area with a fundraising breakfast for about 300 people. Tickets for the event started at $2,500.

Later, Obama planned to speak in Nevada at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The White House said the president would push Congress to pass legislation to prevent student loan interest rates from doubling at the end of the month.

Democrats and Republicans have been at odds over how to pay for the one-year freeze in the subsidized Stafford loans. Top Republican lawmakers say they haven’t received any response from the White House to a new offer they made last week.

In all, Obama and the Democratic National Committee and other state-focused funds have hauled in about $450 million during the 2012 election campaign. Republican Mitt Romney has not yet released fundraising totals for May; he reported raising $40 million in April, compared to Obama’s $43.6 million in April.

The president’s campaign staff said on Twitter that more than 572,000 people donated in May, bringing the total to 2.2 million donors for his re-election bid.