Opinion: John McCain raised $21.5 million in May

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Our colleague Dan Morain passes along word that John McCain raised $21.5 million in May, by far his best fundraising month. The campaign spent $11.6 million the same month, and had $1.27 million in outstanding bills. He took in $1.5 million from other politicians and political action committees, and raised $4.26 million in concert with the Republican Party. McCain ended the month with $31.5 million in the bank, an increase of $10 million from the prior month.

As impressive as that fundraising is, it likely will be far short of the numbers Barack Obama is expected to announce later today. Obama averaged about $40 million a month in February, March and April as he fought with Hillary Clinton over the Democratic nomination -- a battle that continued through May.

The most interesting numbers won’t be known for a while: how much Obama will be able to raise now that the nomination is his, and as he works to try to unify the fractured -- and fractious -- Democrats behind him.

-- Scott Martelle