No presidential candidate is believed to have ever raised so much money so fast after entering a race. The campaign has stopped trumpeting its fund-raising totals to keep Democrats from becoming complacent.
By Shane Goldmacher and Maggie Haberman
Oct. 9, 2024
Updated 2:00 p.m. ET
Vice President Kamala Harris has raised more than $1 billion in less than three months as a presidential candidate, according to three people with knowledge of her fund-raising haul, a remarkable sum of money that has remade the race against former President Donald J. Trump.
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 Harris campaign declined to comment. The campaign has yet to announce how much it raised in September, partly out of concern that bragging about the gush of donations could diminish donor interest in the race’s final weeks, people briefed on the strategy said. The Harris campaign also remains concerned about the ability of billionaire-funded Republican super PACs to impact the race.
The federal reports detailing the fund-raising totals for September are required to be made public later this month.
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. Mr. Trump announced surpassing that mark in July 2020 after he had been raising funds for his re-election for multiple years.
It is the sheer speed with which Ms. Harris has reached that mark that is notable. No presidential candidate is believed to have ever raised so much money so fast after entering a race. Of course, no one in modern political history has replaced a party’s presumptive nominee in the middle of the general election.
She is expected to easily double the $160 million that Mr. Trump raised in September. She raised $72 million in just three events late last month:$27 million at a single event in New York and then $55 million across two California events.
The sums are so large because both candidates are raising funds into jumbo committees that can collect checks of more than $900,000 by including state parties nationwide and the national party.
Ms. Harris hit the $1 billion mark in less than 80 days, according to the people with knowledge of her haul, who were not authorized to speak publicly about it.
After she replaced President Biden as the de facto Democratic nominee on July 21, the outburst of online donations was organic and enormous. Ms. Harris raised $200 million in her first week — more than Mr. Biden had raised with the party in the last six months of 2023.
In fact, Ms. Harris has raised so much money that, in an unusual move in early September, she directed her joint accounts with the party to send $25 million to other party committees focused on down-ballot races for the House, Senate, governor and event state Legislatures.
Much of the funds have come from online contributors.
In the 80 full days since she declared her candidacy, the Democratic donation platform ActBlue has processed about $1.5 billion in contributions to Democratic candidates and causes, compared to $587 million ActBlue had received in the preceding 81 days, according to the site’s online tracker.
Ms. Harris’s fund-raising has been led by the same team that had been previously raising money for Mr. Biden.
Colleen Coffey and Michael Pratt are her finance co-directors, focusing on raising money from larger donors. Jessica Porter is her grass-roots fund-raising director, who oversees the online operation. Rufus Gifford is the finance chair for the Harris-Walz campaign and Chris Korge is the finance chair for the Harris Victory Fund with the party.
Ms. Harris has supplemented that team with several new fund-raisers with close ties to her, including Stephanie Daily Smith, Stefanie Roumeliotes and Kristin Bertolina Faust, who she named a co-finance chair with Mr. Gifford.
StockHand1967 on
Wow
RedPlexInn on
I’m not impressed; these aren’t votes. Let’s show them what the wealth of record-breaking votes looks like
**Vote BLUE and bring a friend or two!**
SacamanoRobert on
That’s a remarkable feat. I hope it’s a sign of things to come. Dollars don’t equal votes, but they sure paint a picture about voter enthusiasm.
AsherGray on
She’s the first politician I’ve ever donated to. The day Biden dropped out I donated fifty bucks to her. The embroidered Chappell Roan hat restocked a week or so ago, so I bought one for myself and my mom since she’s stoked about her running.
Felt cute, might donate more later 😘
DinnerSilver on
Obama 2.0?? Seems like it(and that’s a good thing)
chasexnasty on
Kamala Harris’s rapid fundraising success shows she’s a strong contender in the 2024 race, but we need to see if this momentum translates into votes—money alone doesn’t win elections.
emseearr on
$1 billion … and $10. I just gave her another Hamilton.
davechri on
The majority of Americans clearly want Harris over trump. But, due to the electoral college, it is not that simple.
We have a truly fucked up election system.
nohurrie32 on
Just 4 weeks to go….she better start spending!
Elegant_Plate6640 on
One thing I kind of want to say. Even if Harris loses, can we please get behind shorter presidential campaigns?
I’ve been very pleased with the Democratic Party’s approach, most of their messaging and collaboration, it’s not perfect, but at least it’s not perfect for a shorter amount of time that we can maintain interest in, rather than fizzling out half a year in.
maximm on
Crazy that’s how much its going to cost to dig the USA out of the gop/trump hole.
ArbyArby on
At the end of the day, the only real metric are the votes.
Make sure to vote, America!!
arthurdentxxxxii on
Glad she’s doing well and I hope she wins.
But I wish our elections weren’t so expensive. That billion dollars and how ever much Trump has spent could have done a lot of good if used for citizens.
Unfair-Pomegranate25 on
I mean, can they stop texting me then?
jrzalman on
Not sure where it’s all going. I watch football all weekend and see the ‘Kamala spent tax payer money for this transgender surgery’ ads non stop. Apparently viewers of the most popular sport in the country are not planned to be part of the Harris coalition.
whelpthatslife on
This goes to show you the enthusiasm is in her court! It will translate to votes
GotMoFans on
Yay….
But damn there is too much money in politics.
ShitDirigible on
And ill keep donating until she’s sworn in.
Ive never donated to anyone. Ever. In the more than 2 decades ive been able to vote.
FrostingFun2041 on
The fact that politicians can raise and spend a billion in less than a year is absolutely sickening no matter what party is doing it. Nobody should be okay with it. I get why, but it’s still gross. Hey, middle class, if you need anything sorry ain’t in the budget. We have money for war, though, so chin up!
Captain-Wilco on
Does that include money donated to the Biden-Harris ticket?
BDoubleSharp on
Trump is about to get buried by the thing he loves most.
3rd-party-intervener on
Where is this money going? Â They need to flood the zone in every swing state with ads and mailersÂ
Fine-West-369 on
It is crazy to think one needs a billion to run for office
ATribeOfAfricans on
Legit I hope she wins REALLY hope she wins..but good god what a travesty that it takes a BILLION dollars to run a campaign in this country
jack3moto on
It’s so fucking stupid that anyone has to contribute to politicians. Regardless of being left or right.
Skiingislife42069 on
It’s utterly insane that it takes a BILLION dollars to campaign for presidency. What has this world come to
IntractableWill on
Another reason to overturn citizens united!
Pristine_Serve5979 on
trump lines his pockets with his contributions
Antisocial-sKills on
NY Times: Why this is bad for Harris.
834_438 on
What an utter waste of resources. For the sake of our country, and democracy itself, I hope I live to see true campaign finance reform in the US.
But, also, happy this candidate is raising the funds needed in our current system.
Trump tried so hard to win over the corporate big wigs and they want nothing to do with him. Trump’s wave of populism amounted to nothing. Look how many high level business people endorsed Harris
thezim on
I have never donated to a political campaign but I donated $50 to her shortly after she entered the race and then after her amazing debate performance I decided to donate $10 per week until the election.
Greenfendr on
what a waste of money. I’m voting for her btw. it’s just sick. 1 Bn spent on ad buys making the rich richer, when that money could be used to do real good in this world.
Pullumpkin on
when you have to raise a billion to have a voice, citizens United needs repealed.
36 Comments
Behind the paywall:
No presidential candidate is believed to have ever raised so much money so fast after entering a race. The campaign has stopped trumpeting its fund-raising totals to keep Democrats from becoming complacent.
By Shane Goldmacher and Maggie Haberman
Oct. 9, 2024
Updated 2:00 p.m. ET
Vice President Kamala Harris has raised more than $1 billion in less than three months as a presidential candidate, according to three people with knowledge of her fund-raising haul, a remarkable sum of money that has remade the race against former President Donald J. Trump.
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 Harris campaign declined to comment. The campaign has yet to announce how much it raised in September, partly out of concern that bragging about the gush of donations could diminish donor interest in the race’s final weeks, people briefed on the strategy said. The Harris campaign also remains concerned about the ability of billionaire-funded Republican super PACs to impact the race.
The federal reports detailing the fund-raising totals for September are required to be made public later this month.
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. Mr. Trump announced surpassing that mark in July 2020 after he had been raising funds for his re-election for multiple years.
It is the sheer speed with which Ms. Harris has reached that mark that is notable. No presidential candidate is believed to have ever raised so much money so fast after entering a race. Of course, no one in modern political history has replaced a party’s presumptive nominee in the middle of the general election.
She is expected to easily double the $160 million that Mr. Trump raised in September. She raised $72 million in just three events late last month:$27 million at a single event in New York and then $55 million across two California events.
The sums are so large because both candidates are raising funds into jumbo committees that can collect checks of more than $900,000 by including state parties nationwide and the national party.
Ms. Harris hit the $1 billion mark in less than 80 days, according to the people with knowledge of her haul, who were not authorized to speak publicly about it.
After she replaced President Biden as the de facto Democratic nominee on July 21, the outburst of online donations was organic and enormous. Ms. Harris raised $200 million in her first week — more than Mr. Biden had raised with the party in the last six months of 2023.
In fact, Ms. Harris has raised so much money that, in an unusual move in early September, she directed her joint accounts with the party to send $25 million to other party committees focused on down-ballot races for the House, Senate, governor and event state Legislatures.
Much of the funds have come from online contributors.
In the 80 full days since she declared her candidacy, the Democratic donation platform ActBlue has processed about $1.5 billion in contributions to Democratic candidates and causes, compared to $587 million ActBlue had received in the preceding 81 days, according to the site’s online tracker.
Ms. Harris’s fund-raising has been led by the same team that had been previously raising money for Mr. Biden.
Colleen Coffey and Michael Pratt are her finance co-directors, focusing on raising money from larger donors. Jessica Porter is her grass-roots fund-raising director, who oversees the online operation. Rufus Gifford is the finance chair for the Harris-Walz campaign and Chris Korge is the finance chair for the Harris Victory Fund with the party.
Ms. Harris has supplemented that team with several new fund-raisers with close ties to her, including Stephanie Daily Smith, Stefanie Roumeliotes and Kristin Bertolina Faust, who she named a co-finance chair with Mr. Gifford.
Wow
I’m not impressed; these aren’t votes. Let’s show them what the wealth of record-breaking votes looks like
**Vote BLUE and bring a friend or two!**
That’s a remarkable feat. I hope it’s a sign of things to come. Dollars don’t equal votes, but they sure paint a picture about voter enthusiasm.
She’s the first politician I’ve ever donated to. The day Biden dropped out I donated fifty bucks to her. The embroidered Chappell Roan hat restocked a week or so ago, so I bought one for myself and my mom since she’s stoked about her running.
Felt cute, might donate more later 😘
Obama 2.0?? Seems like it(and that’s a good thing)
Kamala Harris’s rapid fundraising success shows she’s a strong contender in the 2024 race, but we need to see if this momentum translates into votes—money alone doesn’t win elections.
$1 billion … and $10. I just gave her another Hamilton.
The majority of Americans clearly want Harris over trump. But, due to the electoral college, it is not that simple.
We have a truly fucked up election system.
Just 4 weeks to go….she better start spending!
One thing I kind of want to say. Even if Harris loses, can we please get behind shorter presidential campaigns?
I’ve been very pleased with the Democratic Party’s approach, most of their messaging and collaboration, it’s not perfect, but at least it’s not perfect for a shorter amount of time that we can maintain interest in, rather than fizzling out half a year in.
Crazy that’s how much its going to cost to dig the USA out of the gop/trump hole.
At the end of the day, the only real metric are the votes.
Make sure to vote, America!!
Glad she’s doing well and I hope she wins.
But I wish our elections weren’t so expensive. That billion dollars and how ever much Trump has spent could have done a lot of good if used for citizens.
I mean, can they stop texting me then?
Not sure where it’s all going. I watch football all weekend and see the ‘Kamala spent tax payer money for this transgender surgery’ ads non stop. Apparently viewers of the most popular sport in the country are not planned to be part of the Harris coalition.
This goes to show you the enthusiasm is in her court! It will translate to votes
Yay….
But damn there is too much money in politics.
And ill keep donating until she’s sworn in.
Ive never donated to anyone. Ever. In the more than 2 decades ive been able to vote.
The fact that politicians can raise and spend a billion in less than a year is absolutely sickening no matter what party is doing it. Nobody should be okay with it. I get why, but it’s still gross. Hey, middle class, if you need anything sorry ain’t in the budget. We have money for war, though, so chin up!
Does that include money donated to the Biden-Harris ticket?
Trump is about to get buried by the thing he loves most.
Where is this money going? Â They need to flood the zone in every swing state with ads and mailersÂ
It is crazy to think one needs a billion to run for office
Legit I hope she wins REALLY hope she wins..but good god what a travesty that it takes a BILLION dollars to run a campaign in this country
It’s so fucking stupid that anyone has to contribute to politicians. Regardless of being left or right.
It’s utterly insane that it takes a BILLION dollars to campaign for presidency. What has this world come to
Another reason to overturn citizens united!
trump lines his pockets with his contributions
NY Times: Why this is bad for Harris.
What an utter waste of resources. For the sake of our country, and democracy itself, I hope I live to see true campaign finance reform in the US.
But, also, happy this candidate is raising the funds needed in our current system.
Money in politics is disgusting
[https://www.cnbc.com/2024/09/06/harris-endorsed-trump-murdoch-yelp-snap-ripple.html](https://www.cnbc.com/2024/09/06/harris-endorsed-trump-murdoch-yelp-snap-ripple.html)
Trump tried so hard to win over the corporate big wigs and they want nothing to do with him. Trump’s wave of populism amounted to nothing. Look how many high level business people endorsed Harris
I have never donated to a political campaign but I donated $50 to her shortly after she entered the race and then after her amazing debate performance I decided to donate $10 per week until the election.
what a waste of money. I’m voting for her btw. it’s just sick. 1 Bn spent on ad buys making the rich richer, when that money could be used to do real good in this world.
when you have to raise a billion to have a voice, citizens United needs repealed.