Harris raised $200 million in 1st week of presidential campaign

Vice President Kamala Harris boards Air Force Two as she departs Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport in Westfield, Mass.

By Aamer Madhani

July 28, 2024 9:11 AM PT

WASHINGTON —

Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign has raised $200 million since she emerged as the leading Democratic presidential candidate last week, an eye-popping haul in her race against the Republican nominee, former President Trump.

The campaign, which announced its latest fundraising total 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.

More than 170,000 volunteers have also signed up to help the Harris campaign with phone banking, canvassing and other get-out-the-vote efforts. 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, Mass., 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, whose candidacy fizzled following his disastrous June 27 debate performance against Trump, exited the race. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, former House Minority Whip Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, 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 and endorsed Harris.

Democratic House and Senate candidates say they also have seen a surge in support since Harris emerged as the party’s likely nominee.

Meanwhile, Trump and his surrogates have stepped up efforts to frame Harris as a far-left politician out of touch with the American mainstream.

Trump, in a campaign appearance in St. Cloud, Minn., on Saturday, called Harris a “crazy liberal,” accused her of wanting to “defund the police” and said she was an “absolute radical” on abortion. The vice president, a vocal proponent of abortion rights, has made clear that she will make Republican-backed efforts to restrict reproductive rights a key plank in her campaign.

Trump backer Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) also tried to brand Harris as a full partner for “a lot of the worst decisions of the Biden administration,” including the chaotic August 2021 pullout of U.S. troops that led to the swift collapse of the Afghan government and military.

Cotton also accused Harris of emboldening Iranian proxies Hamas and Hezbollah by pressing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over civilian casualties in the war in Gaza.

Netanyahu met separately with Harris and Biden at the White House on Thursday. Afterward, Harris said she urged Netanyahu to reach a cease-fire deal soon with the militant group Hamas so that dozens of hostages held by the militants in Gaza since Oct. 7 can return home. Harris said she also affirmed Israel’s right to defend itself but expressed deep concern about the high death toll in Gaza and the “dire” humanitarian situation there.

Tensions in the Mideast intensified on Saturday after Israeli authorities said a rocket from Lebanon struck a soccer field in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, killing 12 children and teenagers. The strike raised fears of a broader regional war between Israel and Hezbollah, which denied a role in the attack.

“Frankly, it emboldens Iran and terrorist groups like Hezbollah because they believe that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will continue to put more pressure on Israel than it puts on Iran and its terrorists that are encircling Israel with the stated objective to destroy Israel,” Cotton said.

Still, some Republicans are concerned that Harris’ entrance has given Democrats a spark and that Trump needs to recalibrate.

Gov. Chris Sununu (R-N.H.) said Harris is in a “honeymoon” period that will probably last a month, but he also acknowledged that Trump and running mate J.D. Vance should stop the personal attacks against Harris because those will not drive people to vote. Instead, he said they must stick to the issues and “stay away from the insults.”

He said Trump missed an opportunity to do that in recent campaign events, but “hopefully they can get back on track. I think he was on track for a couple months there. I think that the change in the campaign has kind of fired him up to go against her, personally.”

But Sununu also acknowledged that ”nobody can get Donald Trump to do anything. But hopefully the numbers, the polls, will get Donald Trump to realize what was working and what didn’t.”

Sununu was on ABC’s “This Week” and Cotton was on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Madhani writes for the Associated Press.