President Obama out-raised Mitt Romney in direct donations in June, bringing in $46 million for the month compared to $33 million for his Republican challenger.

Obama won more direct donations even as the Romney campaign’s combined effort with the Republican National Committee brought in a staggering $106 million over the same time period — besting Democratic efforts by some $35 million.

Under election finance law, candidates are restricted in how much can be donated directly to their campaign, but a greater total can be given to a joint committee with national and state political parties. That allows candidates to raise more cash from high-dollar donors, although it gives less flexibility to the campaigns themselves to direct how the money is spent.