Vice President Kamala Harris raked in a staggering $361 million in fundraising in August, her campaign announced on Friday morning, in what it touted was “the largest haul of the 2024 cycle.”
The fundraising by the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee was nearly triple the $130 million that the Donald Trump campaign announced on Wednesday that the former president brought in last month.
Harris has enjoyed a fundraising surge in the nearly seven weeks since she replaced President Biden at the top of the Democratic Party’s 2024 ticket.
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Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign event in Detroit, Michigan, US, on Monday, Sept. 2, 2024. (Emily Elconin/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The vice president’s campaign highlighted that Harris has brought in over $615 million in fundraising since July 21, when Biden, in a blockbuster announcement, ended his re-election campaign and endorsed his running mate.
The Harris campaign also touted August’s haul was “the best grassroots fundraising month in presidential history.”
The vice president’s team also showcased what it called “a massive war chest,” reporting $404 million cash-on-hand as of the end of last month. That’s over $100 million more than the $295 million the Trump campaign said it had in its coffers.
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Harris’ August haul was up from the $310 million the Democratic ticket brought in during July, while Trump’s fundraising last month was slightly down from the $138.7 it raised in July.
“In just a short time, Vice President Harris’ candidacy has galvanized a history-making, broad, and diverse coalition – with the type of enthusiasm, energy, and grit that wins close elections,” Harris campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said in a statement. “As we enter the final stretch of this election, we’re making sure every hard-earned dollar goes to winning over the voters who will decide this election.”
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks during a rally at 1st Summit Arena at the Cambria County War Memorial, in Johnstown, Pa., Friday, Aug. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Droke) (AP Photo/Rebecca Droke)
The former president’s team on Wednesday, in a statement revealing its fundraising figures, said that it’s cash-on-hand ensured that it had “the resources needed to propel President Trump’s campaign to victory.”
The Biden campaign and the Democratic National Committee enjoyed a fundraising lead over Trump and the Republican National Committee earlier this year. But Trump and the RNC topped Biden and the DNC by $331 million to $264 million during the April-June second quarter of 2024 fundraising.
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Biden enjoyed a brief fundraising surge after his disastrous performance in his late June debate with Trump, as donors briefly shelled out big bucks in a sign of support for the 81-year-old president.
This combination of photos taken at campaign rallies in Atlanta shows Vice President Kamala Harris on July 30, 2024, left, and Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump on Aug. 3. (AP Photos)
But Biden’s halting and shaky debate delivery also instantly fueled questions about his physical and mental abilities to serve another four years in the White House – and spurred a rising chorus of calls from within his own party for the president to end his bid for a second term. The brief surge in fundraising didn’t last and, by early July, began to significantly slow down.
Fundraising, along with polling, is a key metric in campaign politics and a measure of a candidate’s popularity and their campaign’s strength. The money raised can be used – among other things – to hire staff, expand grassroots outreach and get-out-the-vote efforts, pay to produce and run ads on TV, radio, digital and mailers, and for candidate travel.
Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in New Hampshire.
