Kamala Harris’s campaign has raised more than $200 million since President Biden endorsed her last Sunday and terminated his own presidential bid — with two-thirds of the vice president’s haul coming from first-time donors, according to Harris campaign officials.
The outpouring of cash and Democratic enthusiasm for Harris has reshaped the presidential race since President Biden abandoned his bid a week ago, forcing Republican nominee and former president Donald Trump out of the comfortable posture he had maintained over the past few months as polls showed an edge over Biden in key swing states. Trump had also begun eyeing opportunities to expand the electoral map — including in states like Minnesota, where he campaigned on Saturday night.
Harris campaign aides said they have recruited 170,000 new volunteers since last Sunday and are holding 2,300 events to mobilize grassroots supporters this weekend. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D), who is under serious consideration to be Harris’s running mate, launched a canvassing event Saturday in Carlisle, Pa., while Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, another potential vice-presidential contender, rallied supporters in St. Paul, Minn, to stoke enthusiasm for the Harris effort.
Harris quickly cleared the field of any serious competition and secured pledges from enough Democratic delegates to clinch the nomination Monday night, according to the Associated Press’s delegate tracker. She notched a series of critical endorsements, including from Barack and Michelle Obama. And she is now in the midst of her intensive search for a running mate — a decision that she intends to make before Aug. 7, when the national party plans to have virtually nominated a ticket.
The vice president attended a fundraiser on Saturday in the Berkshires in Massachusetts that was expected to bring in $1.4 million for the campaign, according to one of the hosts. She told the crowd that Trump and his allies have resorted to some “wild lies” about her record: “Some of what he and his running mate are saying, it’s just plain weird,” Harris said to laughter at The Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield, Mass. “That’s the box you put that in.”
A new national survey by the Wall Street Journal found 49 percent of registered voters said they supported Trump and 47 percent backed Harris, within the margin of error. New Fox News polls in battleground states found Trump and Harris statistically tied in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Harris led by six 6 points in Minnesota.