Small donors have given a whopping $46.7 million to Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign in the seven hours since President Joe Biden stunned the world by announcing he would not run in the 2024 election.
The figures, announced by the Democratic Party’s fundraising arm ActBlue, mean Harris, 59, has broken the record for the most money raised during this election cycle.
“This has been the biggest fundraising day of the 2024 cycle. Small-dollar donors are excited and ready to participate in this election,” the group said in a post on X.
Harris is not officially the party’s nominee, but she has already secured endorsements from Biden, former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democratic kingmaker George Soros.
“Tough. Fearless. Tenacious. With our democracy at stake and our future at stake, no one is better able to carry the case against Donald Trump’s dark vision and guide our country in a healthier direction than Vice President Kamala Harris,” Newsome wrote in his message of support on X.
Vice President Kamala Harris has been raising money hand over fist as she tries to secure the nomination to succeed President Joe Biden.
Two potential outside candidates, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, have already endorsed Harris.
There are also reports that Democratic Party kingmaker George Soros is behind Harris.
Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are arguably the two most prominent members of the party backing Harris.
In addition to the money raised in the hours after Biden’s decision, The Wall Street Journal reports that Harris will also have access to money raised by the Biden/Harris 2024 campaign, nearly $100 million.
On Saturday, documents filed with the Federal Election Commission showed that former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, have raised $128 million.
The newspaper It was later reported that Republican Party operatives were likely to challenge Harris’ access to money raised by Biden.
Harris’s odds of defeating Trump have dropped to around 12/5, from a staggering 100/1 in February. The Republican candidate remains the favorite to win the election at odds of 4/6.
Despite the high-profile endorsements, Harris is still likely to seek support from former President Barack Obama, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
The New York Times reports that Obama’s lack of support in a letter reacting to Biden’s announcement was not a snub to Harris, but rather typical of his stance at this stage of the process.
The former Illinois senator was slow to endorse Biden, his vice president, in 2020, declaring, “I don’t want to tip the balance.”
Harris spoke several times with Biden on Sunday, according to people familiar with the conversations, a day after Biden met with his closest aides in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, as he began to finalize whether he would end his reelection bid.
Harris has yet to receive an endorsement from former President Barack Obama
About two hours after Biden’s surprise announcement on Sunday, Harris released her own statement, making clear that she knew the nomination would not be handed to her just like that.
“I am honored to have the President’s endorsement and intend to win this nomination,” Harris said.
“Over the past year, I have traveled across the country to speak to Americans about the clear choice in this momentous election. And that is what I will continue to do in the days and weeks ahead.”
Harris quickly got to work. She spent much of Sunday afternoon calling Democratic elected officials and delegates as she worked to secure her party’s nomination. One of the calls was with Schumer.
Another was with Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Nanette Barragán, who emphasized that she was “fully committed” to the vice president and asked for donations on her behalf.
Barragán said she felt caught in a moment of sadness and emotion as she digested the news of Biden’s withdrawal. But in her call with Harris, the vice president stressed: “We are in this to win.”
Harris also said she preferred to forego a virtual roll call for the nomination process and instead hold a process that adheres to the usual order.
“This is the time for us to come together and rally around the vice president and focus on Donald Trump,” Barragán said.
Harris also spoke with Rep. Annie Kuster, who leads the New Democratic Coalition, an influential center-left bloc of lawmakers. Kuster endorsed Harris on Sunday afternoon.
Notably, a handful of men who had already been considered as potential running mates for Harris — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly — also quickly issued statements supporting her.
Aides to Shapiro and Cooper confirmed that Harris spoke with them Sunday afternoon. In his brief call with Cooper, the North Carolina governor told Harris he was backing her to be the Democratic nominee, according to Cooper spokeswoman Sadie Weiner.
“Joe Biden is a great American and we all owe him immense gratitude for his service to our country as president, vice president and senator,” said Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y. “There is no better person to pass the baton to than Vice President Harris.”
But there are already signs that she is not alone in the Democratic race. West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, who left the party earlier this year to become an independent, is considering re-registering as a Democrat to run for the nomination against the vice president, according to Jonathan Kott, a longtime Manchin adviser.