Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at her campaign headquarters in Wilmington, on July 22, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP
Kamala Harris is smashing fundraising records as the U.S. Democratic Party’s donors — big and small — open their wallets for the vice president in the immediate aftermath of U.S. President Joe Biden’s stunning decision to step aside.
In total, Ms. Harris’ team raised more than $81 million in the 24-hour period since Mr. Biden’s announcement, campaign spokesperson Kevin Munoz said Monday.
The massive haul, which includes money raised across the campaign, the Democratic National Committee and joint fundraising committees, represents the largest 24-hour sum reported by either side in the 2024 campaign. Ms. Harris’ campaign said it was the largest single-day total in U.S. history.
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“The historic outpouring of support for Vice President Harris represents exactly the kind of grassroots energy and enthusiasm that wins elections,” Mr. Munoz said.
Hours earlier, Future Forward, the largest super PAC in Democratic politics, announced it had secured $150 million in commitments over the same period from donors who were “previously stalled, uncertain or uncommitted,” a senior adviser said.
Taken together, the fundraising explosion puts Ms. Harris in a dominant position to secure the Democratic Party’s formal presidential nomination at next month’s national convention — if not sooner. The donor class’s embrace comes as she locks up endorsements from the vast majority of Democratic governors and members of Congress.
The huge haul also ensures that Ms. Harris and her allies can compete with Donald Trump, who has generated stunning fundraising totals of his own in recent weeks as he fights to return to the White House.
“This is the next generation people have been waiting for,” Michael Kempner, a member of Biden’s national finance team, said of Ms. Harris’ emergence. “The donors I’ve spoken to are enthusiastic about supporting her. And even those that may have preferred an open convention have quickly coalesced around her overnight.”
Harris’ initial 24-hour fundraising total easily bested the $50 million Trump raised immediately after felony convictions and the $38 million Mr. Biden secured over the four days that followed last month’s disastrous debate performance. The Trump campaign has not said how much it raised immediately after last weekend’s assassination attempt; a spokesman didn’t respond to a request Monday.
