Republicans dominated Super PAC money race in April, but donations down since primaries

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While President Obama's official re-election campaign out-fundraised challenger Mitt Romney last month by $17 million, non-aligned political action committees that support Republicans continue to dominate groups supporting Democrats in the race, financial disclosure reports filed Sunday night show.

Restore Our Future, a super PAC that has supported Romney since the Republican primaries, raised $4.6 million in April, according to the Federal Election Commission, $3 million more than the $1.6 million raised by the pro-Obama Priorities USA during the same time. With a reported $8.2 million on hand, Restore Our Future has nearly double the amount in the bank as its counterpart.

American Crossroads, another Republican super PAC that funds political ads for races around the country, took in $1.8 million last month, with a reported war chest of $25.5 million as of April 30th.

"What these numbers signify is that Republicans will outspend Obama this fall," wrote Darrell M. West, director of governance studies at the Brookings Institution. "Unlike 2008, when candidate Obama had a fundraising advantage over the GOP, this time money will be a Republican strength."

The numbers reported by the Republican groups, however, reveal a dip in fundraising from previous months. April was the slowest month for Restore Our Future so far, a group that was raising more than $6 million per month during the Republican primaries. American Crossroads also raised more during that time ($5 million in January and $3.4 million in February.)

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