U.S. Republican presidential hopeful John McCain raised 47 million U.S. dollars in August, his monthly best to date and nearly twice as much as the previous month.
His campaign told reporters in a conference call on Monday that some 10 million U.S. dollars of the total was raised after the Republican presidential candidate named Alaska governor Sarah Palin as his running mate -- just three days prior to the end of the month.
Campaign spokesman Brian Rogers called the swell the "Palin effect" and said supporters are noticing the campaign. "The campaign is heating up," said Rogers. "It's great."
U.S. Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain (R-AZ) reads a statement as running mate Alaska Governor Sarah Palin (L), Republican Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour (2nd R) and his wife Marsha look on at the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency - Emergency Operations Command Center in Pearl, Mississippi Aug. 31, 2008. But even before Palin's selection was announced, the campaign had surpassed its July total and would have had a record month.
Among the August activities that could have contributed to the increase: the release of the "Celebrity" ad following Democratic candidate Barack Obama's trip overseas in late July. August was also the first full month with senior adviser Steve Schmidt at the helm of the daily operations to drive a tighter message.
"We've obviously sharpened our message this month; a lot of our supporters obviously notice that and were excited by it," Rogers said.
The Republican's general election efforts begin with the opening of Republican National Convention here in St. Paul, Minn. McCain's Democratic opponent Barack Obama pulled in 51 million dollars in July and has yet to report his August figures.
Source:Xinhua
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