McCain has gotten a boost from the RNC, which has raised far more money this cycle than its Democratic counterpart. It's helped the Arizona senator split the costs on some of his television advertisements. The RNC, however, can spend no more than $19 million in coordination with the campaign, but can spend freely on issues that affect the race.
Obama's bonanza became possible because he was the first presidential candidate to forgo public financing for the general election since the system was put in place after Watergate. By not accepting public funding for his campaign, as McCain did, he is not bound by spending limits.
The Obama campaign announced Sunday that it added 632,000 new donors bringing its overall total to 3.1 million people. Most of the donors gave less than $100 for an average contribution of $86, the campaign said.
The Republicans have tried to use Obama's avalanche of money against him.
He has come under sharp criticism for abandoning a September 2007 pledge to enter the public financing system for the general election if his Republican presidential opponent did.
While Obama's use of the Internet to tap into small-dollar donors has revolutionized campaign fundraising, Republicans claim he is abusing a loophole in the campaign finance law.
Campaign donors who give less than $200 are not required to disclose their identities, raising questions as to whether some small-dollar Obama donors have given more than the $2,300 individual limit.
On Monday, McCain campaign manager Rick Davis accused Obama of violating his own personal standards of transparency by not making public his small-donor database. Republicans estimate that Obama has hundreds of million of dollars in contributions tied to people who did not have to identify themselves.
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