Kamala Harris raises $12 million in second quarter, far below some of her rivals

Sen. Kamala Harris of California raised nearly $12 million in the last three months, according to her campaign, a number that leaves her far behind some of her competitors for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Her fundraising for the second quarter, which her campaign said came from 279,000 donors, was slightly more than the amount she raised in the previous three months.

A significant portion of her donations came in the last days of the quarter that ended June 30. Days earlier, at the Democratic National Committee’s first televised debate, Harris had confronted former Vice President Joe Biden about his past positions on public school busing and nostalgic comments on working with segregationists. Harris’ campaign has said it raised $2 million in 24 hours following the June 27 debate.

Still, Harris’ fundraising numbers are low in comparison to some other top contenders. Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Ind., raised $24.8 million in the second fundraising quarter, his campaign said this week. And Biden, who entered the race in late April, raised $21.5 million, according to his campaign. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont has raised $18 million, his campaign said.

Quarterly fundraising figures don’t have to be reported to the Federal Election Commission until July 15.

Harris’ campaign said it raised nearly half a million from sales of T-shirts showing the image of the candidate as a child and the words “That little girl was me,” referring to her debate comments to Biden about her own experience with busing as she grew up in Berkeley.

Harris surged in polling after the debate, as did Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who has yet to release her fundraising totals for the quarter. Biden declined in post-debate polls but still leads the field, with Harris, Warren and Sanders within striking distance of each other. Buttigieg is shown in fifth place in recent polls.

Why Biden still leads and why that might not last »