Harris' team says $82 million was raised during last week's convention as her campaign for president gains momentum.
Vice President Kamala Harris has raised $540 million in just over a month since beginning her run for president, with donations surging during the Democratic National Convention last week, her campaign said.
A memo released by Harris' campaign manager, Jen O'Malley Dillon, said the $540 million raised included $82 million that came in during convention week and was a sign of Democratic enthusiasm for her candidacy.
“Just prior to Vice President Harris' acceptance speech on Thursday night, we officially crossed the $500 million mark,” O'Malley Dillon wrote in a memo released by the campaign on Sunday.
“Immediately after his speech, we experienced our best hour of fundraising since launch day.”
“This is the highest number ever obtained in a presidential campaign in this period of time,” he added.
O'Malley Dillon said nearly a third of contributions during convention week came from first-time contributors. About a fifth of those first-time contributors were young voters and two-thirds were women — groups the campaign sees as critical constituencies Harris needs to get out to the polls to win in November.
Harris' campaign says it has also seen a surge in volunteer support for the vice president. During convention week, supporters signed up for nearly 200,000 volunteer shifts to help the campaign.
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— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) August 25, 2024
Harris became a presidential candidate on July 21 when President Joe Biden stepped aside under pressure from fellow Democrats concerned about her age after she stumbled during a June 27 debate against Republican rival Donald Trump.
Harris's candidacy has generated momentum that has put Trump on the defensive and has made it difficult for him to maintain media attention.
Trump has also proven to be a formidable fundraiser, but at this point he appears outmatched by Harris's month-old campaign.
The Trump campaign and its affiliates announced earlier this month that they had raised $138.7 million in July, less than Harris raised during the opening week of her White House campaign. The Trump campaign reported it had $327 million in cash on hand at the beginning of August.
Harris and her vice presidential running mate, Tim Walz, are taking their White House campaign on a bus tour of Georgia this week, seeking to drum up support in a state that is shaping up to be crucial in the Nov. 5 election.
