LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Romney's strong performance during the first debate with President Barack Obama on October 3 notably spurred on donations. Both Romney and Obama have been locked in a dead-heat race since then.

As of the end of October 17, just weeks before the November 6 election, Romney, the Republican National Committee and state parties claim to have just $169 million left in their war chest.

"There are less than two weeks left, but we still have much hard work to do to ensure that Mitt Romney and (running mate) Paul Ryan win in November and bring real change to Washington," Spencer Zwick, Romney's national financial chairman says.

The current presidential 2012 election is sure to become the most expensive race in U.S. history. Massive spending on advertising and get-out-the-vote efforts by the campaigns and unlimited-funding outside groups has pushed coffers past the breaking point.

The Romney campaign has declared that just under 92 percent of all donations to Romney and the Republican Party in the first half of October were $250 or less, and that the team had raised $38.2 million through donations under $250.

A millionaire former governor of Massachusetts, Romney enjoys a cash-on-hand advantage over Obama thanks to strong fundraising by the RNC. Obama's campaign on its own has dwindled Romney's in the money stakes in recent months.

Both Democrats and Republicans have raised the roof on donations. Obama and his Democratic allies in September raised $181 million, while Romney and RNC's haul in September totaled $170.5 million. Obama's campaign has yet to release its figures for October.

Financial disclosures for the first half of October are due to the Federal Election Commission by campaigns and "Super PACs" by the end of Thursday.

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