Kamala Harris raised an all-time record of $540 million in a month, and women and young people powered her donations.
According to a memo from Harris campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillion:
In just over a month since we launched our campaign, Team Harris-Walz raised $540 million – a record for any campaign in history.
Not only are our volunteers doing the work, but this week we saw unprecedented grassroots donations. Just before Vice President Harris’ acceptance speech Thursday night, we officially crossed the $500 million mark. Immediately after her speech, we saw our best fundraising hour since launch day.
Even more encouraging than the total figure is where these donations are coming from:
A third of this week’s donations originated from first-time contributors.
Almost one-fifth of those first-time contributors were young voters and two-thirds of which were women — both of which are poised to be deciding constituencies in November.
Teachers and nurses also continue to be among the most common donor occupations.
This fundraising reflects totals raised across Harris for President, the Democratic National Committee, and joint fundraising committees.
Fundraising isn’t votes, but people who donate vote. The reason why fundraising numbers matter beyond the fact that presidential campaigns require a lot of money is that it is an indirect measure of voter enthusiasm, potential depth of support, and the intensity of support for a candidate.
If Kamala Harris puts together another month like last month, and with September holding the VP and presidential debates, there is a really good chance that she will raise another ton of money.
The Harris campaign has momentum. The key for Democrats will be if she can sustain that momentum for another two and a half months.
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Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
