US Vice President Kamala Harris' election campaign has raised around $500 million since she became the Democratic presidential nominee, sources said. Reutersan unprecedented fundraising effort that reflects donor enthusiasm ahead of the November 5 election.
Four sources familiar with the fundraising effort said: Reuters That number had already been accumulated for Harris in the four weeks since she entered the race on July 21.
Campaign money is critical for advertising and efforts to mobilize people to go to the polls and persuade undecided voters to support a candidate.
Harris entered the race after President Joe Biden stepped aside as the Democratic front-runner, unleashing a flood of funding that had dried up in the weeks following Biden's disastrous debate against Republican Donald Trump.
Harris raised $200 million in the first week of her campaign as she quickly built support to become the party's nominee.
Harris’ team raised $310 million in July, bringing the total amount of money raised by her and Biden before he dropped out to more than $1 billion — the fastest crossing of that fundraising threshold in history, according to the campaign.
Trump's campaign said it raised $138.7 million in July and had $327 million in cash on hand. The former president's campaign raised more funds than Biden in the second quarter.
Enthusiasm for Harris, whose cash on hand in July totaled $377 million, continued into August, manifested by donations from small-dollar donors as thousands flocked to her rallies in key political states across the country.
Biden’s campaign committee raised $1.04 billion in the 2020 election cycle or $1.62 billion when combined with outside groups, according to OpenSecrets, a group that tracks money in politics.
Harris praised Biden on Monday on the first night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, where the president, in his own remarks, touted her record and urged voters to back Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, in November.
Former President Barack Obama, who is also a big fundraising draw, addresses the convention on Tuesday night, while Harris rallies voters in nearby Wisconsin.
Obama attended two high-profile fundraisers with Biden and offered to help Harris with more.
Harris has repeatedly defined herself as an underdog in the race against Trump, hoping to avoid complacency among her base of voters and donors.
