July 21 (Bloomberg) -- Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama more than doubled the fundraising of Republican rival John McCain last month, while both spent the same amount on their campaigns, Federal Election Commission reports show.

Obama took in $51.9 million in June, including $1.4 million from a joint fundraising committee with the Democratic National Committee, while McCain reported raising $21.5 million, including $5.1 million from his fundraising effort with the Republican National Committee.

Both candidates spent almost $26 million. For Obama, 46, it was about $1 million less than he spent in May, when he was still competing against New York Senator Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination. For McCain, 71, it was more than double the $11.7 million he spent a month earlier.

McCain also transferred $1.2 million to a separate fund to pay certain general election legal and accounting costs. Another $3 million came from the joint fundraisers, bringing that account to $8.4 million.

The Arizona senator tripled Obama's advertising budget, $16.2 million to $5.4 million. Obama has doubled McCain on payroll expenditures as he prepares to compete in states that traditionally are inhospitable to his party's nominees, such as Virginia, which last went for a Democratic presidential candidate in 1964. He spent $2.5 million to McCain's $1.2 million.

Same Amount

After their spending, both camps had about the same amount of money beginning July 1, though $72 million of the Democrats' $92 million was in Obama's campaign bank account and $68 million of the Republicans' $95 million belonged to the RNC, according to figures released by both campaigns.

Obama's fundraising brought his total to $339.4 million, the first candidate ever to break the $300 million mark. About $12 million is earmarked for the general election and can be spent only after Obama receives his party's nomination at the Democratic National Convention in August.

Donors to Obama's joint fundraising committee included Jay Grinney, president and chief executive officer of Birmingham, Alabama-based HealthSouth Corp., who gave $10,000; and Donald Thompson, U.S. chief of Oak Brook, Illinois-based McDonald's Corp., who gave $28,500, the maximum that can be donated to a political party.

Privately Funded

Obama is the first major party candidate to privately fund his general election effort since the campaign finance rules were overhauled for the 1976 election as a result of the Watergate scandal.

McCain is taking $84.1 million in federal funds for the general election, and therefore must spend all of his primary funds before he receives the Republican nomination in September.

He has now raised $136.8 million for his campaign. Employees of the U.S. subsidiary of Zurich Financial Services AG, who gave $36,700, were his biggest donors last month.

Among the donors to the joint fundraising committee was Richard Adkerson, chief executive officer of Phoenix-based Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc., who gave $28,500, and Donald Trump, chairman of Atlantic City, New Jersey-based Trump Entertainment Resorts, who contributed $28,450.

The committee also received $15,000 from the political action committee of Greensboro, North Carolina-based Lorillard Inc., the tobacco company; and $17,500 from the PAC of the lawyer-lobbying firm of DLA Piper, whose clients include Philadelphia-based Comcast Corp. and New York-based Verizon Communications Inc.

Clinton Loan

Clinton lent her campaign another $1 million at the end of June, after she withdrew from the presidential race. She reported debts of $25.2 million from her presidential campaign, including $13.2 million to herself and $12 million to vendors, $5.3 million of it to former chief strategist Mark Penn.

The New York senator has until the Aug. 25-28 Democratic National Convention in Denver to retire her personal debt, or else all but $250,000 will be considered a campaign contribution.

Clinton received 52 contributions last month from donors who previously gave the maximum $2,300 primary contribution to Obama, according to an analysis of FEC data. Among them was David Axelrod, the Obama campaign's chief strategist, who contributed $2,300.

To contact the reporter on this story: Jonathan D. Salant in Washington at jsalant@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: July 21, 2008 14:02 EDT