Harris raises record-breaking $81 million for presidential bid

Vice President Kamala Harris raised $81 million for her White House bid in the first 24 hours after President Biden announced he would not seek reelection — the largest campaign haul over such a period in history.

More than 880,000 donors contributed to Harris’ campaign, the Democratic National Committee and joint fundraising committees, according to Harris’ campaign.

“The historic outpouring of support for Vice President Harris represents exactly the kind of grassroots energy and enthusiasm that wins elections,” Harris campaign spokesperson Kevin Munoz said in a statement. “Already, we are seeing a broad and diverse coalition come together to support our critical work of talking to the voters that will decide this election.”

Munoz added that “Donald Trump is terrified because he knows his divisive, unpopular agenda can’t stand up to the Vice President’s record and vision for the American people.”

Former President Trump’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

Amid concerns about his cognitive and physical capacity, the 81-year-old Biden announced on Sunday that he would not seek reelection and endorsed Harris.

As vice president, Harris does not automatically receive the Democratic nomination. But she already has received a groundswell of support from party leaders, donors and liberal allies such as labor unions.

It’s difficult to chart a path for another Democrat to vie for the nomination before the party’s delegates meet next month to select their standard-bearer at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. There’s already widespread speculation on who would be her running mate.

Money raised for the Biden-Harris ticket was transferred to Harris’ new presidential campaign. The ticket had raised $296 million through June 30, according to the Federal Election Commission, while Trump had raised $221 million.

Unsurprisingly, both candidates received the most money from Californians, a reflection of the state’s size and concentration of wealthy donors.