RNC announces $20M raised in first half of month

(CNN) -- The Republican National Committee brought in nearly $20 million in the first half of the October and is buying more ad time in Wisconsin, RNC chairman Reince Priebus said Thursday, October 25th.

Priebus said a filing with the Federal Election Commission will show the committee raised over $19.8 million between October 1 and 17 and ended the period with $67.6 million cash on hand.

Earlier in the day, GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney's campaign said their efforts -- which includes joint fundraising with the RNC -- brought in $111.8 million in the first half of the month.

The Romney campaign announcement included monies raised by his campaign, the RNC, and the Romney Victory committee. They ended that time period with $169 million cash on hand.

The first 17 days of October saw two of the three presidential debates -- including one on October 3, when two in three debate watchers said in a CNN/ORC International poll that Romney won -- as well as the sole vice presidential debate of this campaign.

Thursday is the FEC deadline for campaigns, party committees, and other groups to file pre-general election paperwork.

Priebus said the RNC decided on Wednesday to invest $1.3 million on ads in Wisconsin, one of eight toss up states on the CNN Electoral Map. The Badger state has 10 electoral votes and could aid Romney's road to the White House.

"Our resources have allowed us to go beyond funding the ground game and add additional resources to our broadcast advertising," Priebus said in a statement. "The RNC has now spent in excess of $60 million in advertising in support of the GOP team."

Neither President Barack Obama's campaign nor the Democratic National Committee have filed their pre-general election report as of this writing.

-- CNN's Gregory Wallace and Ashley Killough contributed to this report