Kamala Harris announcement sees Democrat fundraising surge by record $46.7m in the first seven hours after Biden dropped out of Presidential race as donors flock back to the party and endorsements roll

Small donors have given a whopping $46.7 million to Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign in the seven hours after President Joe Biden shocked the world by announcing he would not run for re-election in the 2024 election.

The figures, released by ActBlue, the fundraising arm of the Democratic Party, mean Harris, 59, has broken the record for the most money raised during this election campaign.

“This was the largest fundraising day of the 2024 cycle. Small donors are excited and ready to take on this election,” the group said in a post on X.

Harris is not officially the party’s nominee, but he has already received the support of Biden, former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, California Governor Gavin Newsom and Democratic leader George Soros.

“Tough. Fearless. Persistent. With our democracy at stake and our future at stake, no one is better equipped to prosecute the case against Donald Trump’s dark vision and lead our country in a healthier direction than U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris,” Newsome wrote in his recommendation on X.

Two potential outside candidates, California Governor Gavin Newsom and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, have already endorsed Harris

There are also reports that Democratic Party leader George Soros is behind Harris

Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are likely the two most prominent party leaders supporting Harris

In addition, money was raised in the hours following Biden’s decision, The Wall Street Journal reports that Harris will also have access to the money raised by the 2024 Biden/Harris campaign, nearly $100 million.

On Saturday, Federal Election Commission filings revealed that former President Donald Trump and his running mate Sen. JD Vance raised $128 million.

The news It was later reported that GOP operatives are likely to challenge Harris’ access to the money raised by Biden.

The odds on Harris beating Trump have fallen to around 12/5, down from an astonishing 100/1 in February. The Republican candidate remains the favorite to win the election at odds of 4/6.

Despite the high-profile endorsements, Harris is still likely to seek the support of former President Barack Obama, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

According to the New York Times, Obama’s lack of support in a letter responding to Biden’s announcement was not an insult to Harris but typical of his stance at this stage of the process.

The former Illinois senator was reluctant to endorse Biden, his vice president, in 2020, saying, “I don’t want to be the deciding factor.”

Harris spoke to Biden several times on Sunday, people familiar with the conversations said — a day after Biden met with his closest aides in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, when he began to conclude he would abandon his re-election bid.

Harris still needs to be endorsed by former President Barack Obama

About two hours after Biden’s surprise announcement on Sunday, Harris released her own statement, making clear that she knew the nomination would not be handed to her lightly.

“I am honored to have the President’s endorsement and it is my intention to earn and win this nomination,” Harris said.

“Over the past year, I have traveled across the country, speaking to Americans about the clear choice in this momentous election. And that is what I will continue to do in the days and weeks ahead.”

Then Harris quickly got to work. She spent much of Sunday afternoon calling Democratic elected officials and delegates as she worked to secure her party’s nomination. One call was to Schumer.

Another conversation was with Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Nanette Barragan, who stressed that she was “fully behind” the vice president and called for donations on her behalf.

Barragán said she was overcome with both sadness and excitement as she processed the news of Biden’s withdrawal. But during her phone call with Harris, the vice president emphasized to her, “We’re doing this to win.”

Harris also indicated that she would prefer not to hold a virtual slate of nominees for the nomination process and would instead hold a process that follows normal business as usual.

“This is the time to unite and rally around the vice president and focus on Donald Trump,” Barragán said.

Harris also spoke with Rep. Annie Kuster, who leads the New Democrat Coalition, an influential bloc of center-left lawmakers. Kuster endorsed Harris on Sunday afternoon.

Notably, a handful of men who had already been discussed as potential running mates for Harris — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly — also quickly issued statements supporting her.

Aides to Shapiro and Cooper confirmed that Harris spoke to them Sunday afternoon. In her brief conversation with Cooper, the North Carolina governor told Harris he was endorsing her as the Democratic nominee, Cooper spokeswoman Sadie Weiner said.

“Joe Biden is a great American, and we all owe him an immense debt of gratitude for his service to our country as president, vice president, and senator,” said Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y. “There is no better person to pass the baton to than Vice President Harris.”

But there were early signs that she may not be alone in the Democratic race. West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, who left the party earlier this year to become an independent, is considering re-registering as a Democrat to run for the vice presidential nomination, said Jonathan Kott, a longtime adviser to Manchin.