Mitt Romney raised nearly $12.6 million in March

Mitt Romney raised nearly $12.6 million in March—the best fundraising month of his campaign, according to aides.

That's a slight uptick from the $12 million in contributions Romney reported in February, although his fundraising still lags behind that of President Barack Obama, who raised a combined $53 million for his campaign and the Democratic National Committee last month.

But Romney's campaign coffers are sure to grow. The presumptive Republican nominee's cash total includes only money raised for the GOP primary and not the general election.

Earlier this month, Romney began raising money for the general election. And he set up a joint fundraising account with the Republican National Committee, which will allow him to raise an additional $38,500 per person in funds to benefit his campaign—or as much as $75,000 per person through cash routed through state party committees.

Romney's campaign has set a goal of raising $800 million ahead of November's general election.

The Romney campaign reports it ended March with $10.1 million in the bank and no debts. It will file its full financial report with the Federal Election Commission Friday.

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