Romney raises over $40 million in April, almost matching Obama

— -- Mitt Romney raised just over $40 million for his campaign and the Republican National Committee in April—a pace that nearly matched the $44 million that President Obama raised during the same period.

The New York Times was first to report the figure, which includes money raised for Romney's 2012 campaign and the "Romney Victory Fund," a joint fundraising effort with the RNC. A Romney aide confirmed the numbers, which will be formally released later this morning.

That's a major increase from the $13 million Romney raised during March, when he was still in the heat of the Republican primary.

While President Obama has been raising money for both his campaign and the Democratic National Committee for months, the presumptive Republican nominee merged fundraising operations with the RNC only last month. The move allows him to accept contributions as much as $75,000 a piece from individuals, who contribute not just to the RNC joint account but a series of accounts set up with state parties.

A Romney aide offered no details on the exact split of how much money was raised for Romney's main campaign account versus the Romney Victory Committee. The two committees will jointly report just over $61 million cash on hand.

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