Democrat Barack Obama outraised Republican John McCain by nearly $500,000 in Florida in June, validating his decision to rebuff limited public campaign financing for the general election.

Obama raised about $1.4 million in the state, while McCain collected about $900,000, according to monthly fundraising reports due Sunday.

''Fundraising is a continuing challenge for anyone in these economic times,'' said Fort Lauderdale attorney Scott Rothstein, one of McCain's top donors. "Obama is rallying people with a message that is causing a lot of people who have never given before to raise money. It's an anomaly in politics, but I don't think it's going to have any effect on McCain's ultimate victory.''

A wider pool of small donors has given Obama an edge in Florida and nationwide, turning the tradition of relying on big givers on its head. The campaign counts more than 85,000 donors in Florida, which includes people who gave less than $200 and are not listed in reports to the Federal Election Commission.

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