Kamala Harris Is Making It Rain

Presidential candidate raises $200M in first week of her campaign
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jul 28, 2024 6:32 AM CDT
Harris Has Raised $200M in First Week of Campaign
Vice President Kamala Harris, right, salutes upon arrival at Andrews Air Force Base in Md., Saturday, July 27, 2024. Harris is returning to Washington after participating in a political event in Pittsfield, Mass.   (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough, Pool)

Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign has raised $200 million since she emerged as the likely Democratic presidential nominee last week, an eye-popping haul in her race against the Republican nominee, former President Trump. The campaign, which announced its latest fundraising total on Sunday, said the bulk of the donations—66%—comes from first-time contributors in the 2024 election cycle and were made after President Biden announced his exit from the race and endorsed Harris. Over 170,000 volunteers have also signed up to help the Harris campaign with phone banking, canvassing, and other get-out-the-vote efforts, reports the AP. Election Day is 100 days away.

"The momentum and energy for Vice President Harris is real—and so are the fundamentals of this race: this election will be very close and decided by a small number of voters in just a few states," Michael Tyler, the campaign's communications director, wrote in a memo. Harris campaigned in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, on Saturday, drawing hundreds to a fundraiser that had been organized when Biden was still at the top of the Democratic ticket. The fundraiser had originally been expected to raise $400,000 but ended bringing in about $1.4 million, according to the campaign.

Harris quickly coalesced Democratic support after Biden exited the race. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, former House Minority Whip Jim Clyburn, former President Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were quick to announce their support. Prodigious Democratic fundraisers former President Obama and his wife Michelle Obama announced their endorsement Friday. Harris at her Saturday fundraiser said she remained the "underdog" in the race but that her campaign was picking up steam. Future Forward, the largest super PAC in Democratic politics, announced last week it had secured $150 million in commitments over the first 24 hours from donors after Biden bowed out.

(More Kamala Harris 2024 stories.)

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