By Democrats are obsessed with “money in politics.”
That is, unless they are the ones cashing the checks.
Vice President Kamala Harris has raised over $1 billion in just under three months as a presidential candidate, according to The New York Times. Her impressive haul has reshaped the 2024 race for the White House, positioning the vice president as a formidable contender who can, at least so she thought, avoid difficult interviews and simply run television ads.
The $1 billion haul, which encompasses money raised for her campaign and affiliated party committees, including the Democratic National Committee, is being spent on a wave of television and digital advertising and an expansive operation of offices and staff in the seven battleground states and beyond. The historic sum does not include money donated to allied super PACs.
The $1 billion threshold is more than Mr. Trump has announced raising in all of 2024. He has raised around $853 million this calendar year in concert with the party, according to a tally of his campaign’s public statements.
Past presidential candidates, including Joseph R. Biden and Mr. Trump four years ago, have raised more than $1 billion together with their parties. It is the sheer speed with which Ms. Harris has reached that mark that is notable.
Ms. Harris more than doubled Mr. Trump’s cash haul in both July and August. She raised $361 million in August compared to his $130 million. And her campaign and the former Biden campaign combined to raise $310 million in July compared to $139 million for Mr. Trump.
Her fundraising figures are expected to surpass the $160 million Trump raised in September alone.
The wealthy have been flocking to the Harris campaign and her remarkable fundraising success includes $72 million from three events held late last month, according to reports. One New York event alone brought in $27 million, while two California events generated an additional $55 million.
Both candidates are benefiting from fundraising efforts tied to “jumbo committees,” explained The Times, which allow for contributions exceeding $900,000 by pooling resources from state parties and national committees. Harris reached the $1 billion milestone in less than 80 days, according to sources not authorized to speak publicly.
Following her formal entry into the race on July 21, replacing President Biden as the Democratic nominee, online donations flooded in. Harris raised $200 million in her first week, surpassing the total Biden had raised in the latter half of 2023.
NBC News noted that “Harris has opened up a huge cash advantage over her Republican rival, Trump, who had raised just $309 million for his campaign through the end of August.
Republican super PACs are helping fill in the gap, spending more than $80 million on TV ads across the country in September, according to AdImpact, an ad-tracking service. The biggest GOP groups have more than $100 million in ads reserved for the final weeks.”
The money may not be helping her, however, because at the end of the day she’s still Kamala Harris.
Mark Halperin revealed earlier in the week that he has seen “robust” internal polling that shows Harris slipping behind the former president, explained Mediate.
“I just saw some new private polling that’s very robust. Private polling,” says @MarkHalperin. Kamala Harris “is in a lot of trouble … In the conversations I’m having with Trump people and Democrats with data, they are extremely bullish on Trump’s chances in the last 48 hours.… pic.twitter.com/KF3tSM2sLo
— 2WAY (@2waytvapp) October 9, 2024
“What’s happening now with Kamala Harris is, this is an experiment. Can you win a short campaign with an untested candidate? And what I’m telling you is happening in private polling is she’s got a problem now, okay? It’s not cheering for Trump. It’s not predicting Trump will win. She’s got a problem,” began Halperin. “Wall Street Journal has a story about Democrats really worried about the three Rust Belt states. We all know from our contacts in both campaigns that Pennsylvania is tough for her right now. And without Pennsylvania there are paths, but there aren’t many.”
After going down a brief rabbit hole about Senate races with his co-hosts, Halperin returned to his point.
“For you Harris people on here complaining that we’re talking about problems in the Harris campaign, you’re welcome to put your head in the sand about it. If you want to go watch MSNBC primetime and hear how great things are going for the Harris campaign, you’re welcome to do that. But if you want to understand what’s actually happening, we’re here to tell you,” he said. “I just saw some new private polling today that’s very robust private polling: She’s in a lot of trouble.”
“What’s happening now with Kamala Harris is, this is an experiment. Can you win a short campaign with an untested candidate? And what I’m telling you is happening in private polling is she’s got a problem now, okay? It’s not cheering for Trump. It’s not predicting Trump will win. She’s got a problem,” began Halperin. “Wall Street Journal has a story about Democrats really worried about the three Rust Belt states. We all know from our contacts in both campaigns that Pennsylvania is tough for her right now. And without Pennsylvania there are paths, but there aren’t many.”
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