Republicans also enjoy a nice cash advantage with the outside groups known as super PACs. Even though the pro-Obama Priorities USA group had its best month yet in June, raising $6.2 million, it was nowhere close to the $20 million raised by pro-Obama super PAC Restore Our Future, reports the Hill. Priorities USA spent more than it raised in June as it unleashed a barrage of ads targeting Romney’s tenure at Bain Capital.

***

Obama entered July with $97.5 million in the bank, and used a part of it to run 35,347 television ads in the 14-day period ending July 16, according to New York-based Kantar Media’s CMAG. The Romney campaign, which began July with $22.5 million, aired 16,946 spots during that period. Since more than 97 percent of those commercials were negative, that meant voters saw twice as many campaign-funded ads attacking Romney rather than Obama. …

Obama continued to draw down his campaign account, spending $58.1 million last month with $43 million for advertising, including broadcast and online. Romney spent $27.5 million during the month, less than half as much as Obama, with $11.1 million going for media.

“President Obama’s campaign will never have a more substantial advertising advantage than it has had over the past few weeks, yet there is no evidence to suggest that the ballot has moved,” Romney’s pollster, Neil Newhouse, said in a July 16 memo.

***

A much smaller group of wealthy liberals gave money last month to Priorities USA Action, including actor Morgan Freeman, who put in $1 million. Chicago media company executive Fred Eychaner also gave $1 million.

But big Democratic donors have largely steered clear of the super PAC, focusing their efforts instead on raising money directly for Obama’s campaign. So far, Obama’s bundlers have brought in at least $143 million, according to a Los Angeles Times analysis of data provided by the campaign.

In the last three months, 107 new bundlers joined the effort, including longtime Democratic money man Terry McAuliffe, “Glee” creator Ryan Murphy, private equity chief Hamilton James, tech investor Chris Sacca and Maryland Gov.Martin O’Malley. Together, they raised at least $14.6 million for the quarter.

***

“I don’t think the effort was designed to sway voters so much as it was a way to get the Democratic base motivated again,” Smith added. “To give them something to be angry about again.”

And that is a sad statement about the Obama campaign. The president can’t possibly run positive ads about his record, so his only option is to fire up Democratic voters to hate Romney. But even many Democrats are troubled by Obama’s relentlessly negative — and mostly misleading — campaign. …

No, it appears the only Obama campaign strategy right now is to keep hammering on Romney’s business record, and somehow convince voters that the exact date of Romney’s departure from Bain Capital is more important than the 8 percent unemployment rate.

***

Campaign disclosure forms for Obama for America, President Obama’s reelection team, reveal a heavy emphasis on public opinion polling. According to the forms, in the month of June alone, Obama for America spent a whopping $2,639,265.72 on polling.

This appears to be a record this election cycle. And it does not include money spent on polling by the Democratic party in the month of June. …

Polling is often conducted by campaigns to make sure the candidate’s message is in sync with what the voters want to hear.

***

The National Republican Congressional Committee narrowly outraised the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in June. The NRCC posted $10.7 million in receipts compared with the DCCC’s $10.5 million.

The NRCC ended June with $41 million in cash on hand while the DCCC closed the month with $33.2 million in the bank.