Harris raises $413 million in July as campaign shake-up energises donors
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The July figure brings the total amount raised to more than US$1 billion, the fastest a presidential campaign has crossed that threshold in history.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WASHINGTON - The Harris campaign announced on Aug 2 that it raised US$310 million (S$413 million) in July, fuelled by small-dollar donations that flowed into the war chest after President Joe Biden bowed out of the race and endorsed Vice-President Kamala Harris.
The July figure – more than double the US$138.7 million raised by Republican rival Donald Trump in the same month – brings the total amount raised by Ms Harris and Mr Biden before her to more than US$1 billion, the fastest a presidential campaign has crossed that threshold in history, the campaign said.
July was set to be a disappointing month for Democrats as big-dollar donors withheld money in an effort to force Mr Biden out of the race, but Ms Harris’ emergence as the party’s presidential candidate energised voters and donors.
More than US$200 million of the US$310 million came in the first week following Mr Biden’s endorsement of Ms Harris, the campaign said.
Two-thirds of the July donations came from first-time donors and 94 per cent of the donations were US$200 or less, the campaign said.
“This is a history-making haul for a candidate who will make history this November. The tremendous outpouring of support we’ve seen in just a short time makes clear the Harris coalition is mobilised, growing, and ready to put in the work to defeat Trump this November,” said Harris for President campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez.
The Harris campaign had US$377 million in cash on hand at the end of the month, US$50 million more than the Trump campaign’s US$327 million.
Trump’s fund raising for July was 24 per cent higher than the US$111.8 million that the campaign said it raised in June.
The assassination attempt against Trump on July 13 at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, was expected to spur campaign contributions to the former president. Trump’s fund raising had previously surged when he was convicted in late May on felony charges related to a hush-money payment to a porn star ahead of the 2016 election.
Polls showed that Trump had built a lead over Mr Biden, including in battleground states, after Mr Biden’s disastrous debate performance on June 27, but Ms Harris’ entry to the race changed the dynamic with recent polls showing a tight contest. REUTERS
