A recent fundraising event hosted by US Vice President and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris has been dubbed the largest Zoom call ever held.
Vice President Harris' fundraising event, 'White Women: Answer the Call,' which raised more than $11 million for her recently announced presidential campaign, reportedly broke the record for the largest attendance of any Zoom call, with 200,000 attendees present on the video conferencing platform.
The 200,000 Zoom participants reportedly overwhelmed the call at one point and even “flooded” the campaign’s donation link. This appears to have been a temporary glitch, and the Zoom call has been hailed as a huge success.
The rise of zoom
The news is the biggest in a series of incredibly popular virtual campaign events for Harris, including “Win With Black Women” and “White Dudes for Harris,” which are said to have raised $2 million and $4 million respectively.
By harnessing the fresh energy of its new candidate, the Democratic Party has seen great success with its “Zoom Boom” fundraising strategy, with the DNC reporting it broke records with more than $6.5 million raised in one day (July 21) through grassroots donations.
The record-breaking rally comes after Harris filed for the presidential nomination after current President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race. In the week since, a seemingly reinvigorated Democratic campaign has raised more than $200 million in donations and enlisted 170,000 volunteers.
Digital strategy and virtual campaigning have become increasingly crucial in recent years as the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed candidates to turn to online fundraising events.
Historically, this has produced mixed results for the Democratic Party, with candidates like Bernie Sanders' online events drawing more than five million viewersbut Joe Biden's first virtual City hall described as a “technical nightmare”.
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Digital outreach is allowing political candidates to connect with voters across the country without having to attend costly rallies or waste time on travel. It’s clear that digital events will remain central to political campaigns for the foreseeable future, and Kamala’s team is making the most of the enthusiasm of a young audience and gaining valuable momentum ahead of the November 2024 election.
Zoom has declined to comment on the claim.
