Harris campaign gains momentum with $200mn raised after Biden's exit

Nearly a week after US President Joe Biden exited the 2024 presidential race and endorsed his deputy Kamala Harris as his successor, the Vice President's campaign has raised USD 200 million, Al Jazeera reported.

The campaign announced its latest fundraising total on Sunday, highlighting that 66 per cent of the donations came from first-time contributors in the 2024 election cycle. Additionally, over 170,000 volunteers have signed up to assist the Harris campaign with phone banking, canvassing, and other voter outreach efforts.

"The momentum and energy for Vice President Harris is real — and so are the fundamentals of this race: this election will be very close and decided by a small number of voters in just a few states," Michael Tyler, the campaign's communications director, wrote in a memo.

In early July, Donald Trump's campaign reported raising USD 331 million in the second quarter, surpassing the USD 264 million raised by Biden's campaign and its Democratic allies in the same period. Trump's campaign had USD 284.9 million in cash on hand at the end of June, compared to the Democratic campaign's USD 240 million.

Following Biden's withdrawal, Harris quickly garnered Democratic support. Notable endorsements came from former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, former House Minority Whip Jim Clyburn, former president Bill Clinton, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Former President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama and renowned Democratic fundraisers, also endorsed Harris on Friday.

The Democratic National Convention next month will determine if Harris will become the party's nominee, Al Jazeera reported. At a fundraiser on Saturday, Harris described herself as the "underdog" but noted that her campaign was gaining traction. Her leadership has revitalised a campaign that had struggled, with doubts about Biden's ability to defeat Trump or continue in office if elected.