Obama, Democrats, post $60 million haul in May

— -- President Barack Obama and the Democratic National Committee hauled in more than $60 million dollars in May — and one quarter of it may have come from his exclusive Hollywood-powered fundraiser at George Clooney's home the day after the embattled incumbent came out in support of same-sex marriage.

The Obama campaign announced the figure in a series of staff-written messages on Twitter.

"The campaign raised more than $60 million across committees in May," one message read. "Thanks to everyone who chipped in."

More than 147,000 of the 572,000 donors were giving for the first time. The average donation was $54.94, and 98 percent of them were under $250 dollars. (Obama's remarkable campaign store effectively functions as a way to solicit small donations and reward small donors — they aren't "buying" an "I Meow For Michelle" cat collar, they're making a $12-dollar donation) The May haul was a sizeable jump over April, when the president and the DNC pulled in $43.6 million. Mitt Romney raised nearly the same amount. Romney's campaign has not released its May totals — and doesn't have to until a June 20 Federal Election Commission deadline.

Obama's decision to disclose early comes as his campaign has hit a bit of a rough patch, with controversies over remarks by former President Bill Clinton and the Democrats' dispiriting loss in Wisconsin.