Harris raises $27 million in New York fundraiser, promises economic speech this week
NEW YORK — Vice-Chairman Kamala Harris raised $27 million on Sunday at a crowded fundraiser in New York City, its largest fundraising sleep since she took over at the at the top of the ticket from the chairman Joe Bidensaid a Harris campaign official.
Although Harris is far more money than former President Donald Trump, the money will be needed to compete with expensive advertising campaigns from financially strong outside groups supporting Trump, said the aide, who asked not to be identified to discuss the private fundraising.
The blockbuster fundraiser was held at Cipriani Wall Street in a vast Greek-style ballroom with more than a dozen columns. Much of the crowd stood shoulder to shoulder as Harris teased Trump for refusing to debate her again.
“My opponent seems to be looking for an excuse,” Harris told the crowd. “I feel very strongly that we owe it to the American people, to the voters, to meet again before Election Day.”
She reiterated that later, telling reporters after landing outside Washington, “We have more to discuss.”
Trump has more debates rejectedand said Saturday that “it’s just too late.”
“The voting has already begun,” he said at a rally in Wilmington, North Carolina. Voters casting the first personal ballots last week in Minnesota, South Dakota and Virginia, the states with the first early personal voting opportunities. About a dozen other states will follow by mid-October.
Harris also said she would deliver a speech Wednesday outlining her economic vision, saying there is “more we can do to invest in the aspirations and ambitions of the American people as we address the challenges they face.”
As examples, she cited the high costs of buying a house and the persistently high grocery bills.
“I grew up as a middle-class kid and I will never forget where I came from,” she said.
By laying out her economic agenda in more detail, Harris can address an issue of great importance to voters after prices rose during Biden’s presidency and distanced herself from the president’s economic record. Trump has criticized her for being slow to release detailed policy proposals of herself since she topped the list.
Haris has said She would push for tax cuts for the middle class and tax increases for the wealthy and corporations, and she accepted Trump’s proposal to end the tip tax, though she would limit her plan to low- and middle-income taxpayers. She has also criticized Trump’s plan to impose high tariffs on most imported goods, which she said would significantly increase the cost of goods.
Neither Harris nor Trump has a decisive lead with the public about the economy, according to the latest poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs ResearchThe survey shows Harris gaining ground in an area that was once a clear strength for Trump.
About 4 in 10 registered voters say Republican Trump would do a better job on the economy, while a similar share say the same about the Democratic vice president, the poll found. About 1 in 10 voters trust neither candidate, and a similar share have equal confidence in them.
The new poll shows that about 8 in 10 voters consider the economy to be one of the most important issues when choosing which candidate to support, outpacing other important issues such as health care and crime.
Harris has backtracked on liberal positions she took during her failed 2020 presidential campaign, including proposals to ban fracking, establish universal health care and decriminalize illegal border crossings.
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Cooper reported from Phoenix.