UPDATE: Kamala Harris Rakes in All-Time Record $81M in Grassroots Donations Less Than 24 Hours After Announcing Candidacy
AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File
UPDATE: Axios on Monday afternoon reported that Vice President Kamala Harris pulled in an all-time record $81 million “in the first 24 hours of her candidacy.”
Earlier in the morning that number stood at just under $50 million in grassroots donations.
After President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race and gave his full endorsement to Harris, donations started pouring in amid renewed enthusiasm from Democrats. CNN reported that a total of $49.6 million was donated to the newly-minted Harris campaign in under 24 hours. But it isn’t just grassroots donors who are declaring their support for Harris. Big Democratic donors are calling the new ticket “transformative”:
Alan Kessler, a Philadelphia lawyer and longtime Democratic fundraiser, said the texts and emails began soon after news broke Sunday that President Joe Biden had withdrawn from the 2024 race and called for Vice President Kamala Harris to become his successor.
One, in particular, summed up the mood among Biden’s donors, he said.
“This is transformative,” the text from a major contributor read.
Kessler added, “They’re really excited, and they are all in” on Harris. Another Democratic fundraiser, Matt Gorman, described the energy surrounding Harris as “reinvigorating and inspiring.”
Several big donors have also announced that their threat to withhold funds unless Biden stepped aside was now finished:
“Suffice to say, the DEMBARGO is lifted,” Damon Lindelof, a Hollywood screenwriter and producer, wrote Sunday on Instagram. Lindelof was among the contributors who had called on fellow Democratic donors to stop writing campaign checks.
He wrote that he felt “profound relief, gratitude … and then for the first time, genuine EXCITEMENT for the election ahead.”
Echoing that sentiment, another big-ticket donor said there’s going to be “a massive surge of new energy” around Harris, saying this election is about beating Trump – and that he’s relieved the focus will go back to that.
Some Democratic donors are still skeptical that Harris is the best choice, including Florida lawyer John Morgan, who said the party should go with someone with a more “moderate” record. He told CNN: “Will I vote for Harris? Yes. Will I raise money? No.”
