“It’s my view that Kamala Harris is head and shoulders above anyone who might step forward. I think that’s why you’re seeing her get the level of support from within our party that she is getting,” Hicks said on Forum. “The grassroots support financially that she has received in the last 24 hours or so, or since President Biden’s announcement, I think that’s the kind of energy, the kind of infrastructure that’s required to win a tough and tight race, which is exactly what this will be.”
The historic day of fundraising comes after weeks of concern from Democratic donors about Biden’s age and ability to beat Trump in November. Even before the debate, fundraising disclosures show that the Trump campaign had pulled ahead of Biden’s team, finishing June with $285 million on hand, compared to Biden’s $240 million.
After the debate, some of Biden’s largest financial backers called for his replacement on the ticket — with some even threatening to withhold funds.
The change at the top of the ticket has revitalized some big-dollar Democrats who viewed Biden’s run as a lost cause.
“California is the ATM for the Democratic Party, so we’ll certainly be there for that,” said Mark Buell, the fundraising chair for many of Harris’ California campaigns, on Forum.
Buell said he would like to see a more competitive primary among Democrats before the party’s August convention in Chicago. However, he said he’s glad to see Biden pass the torch to a candidate who can motivate active California Democrats to open their checkbooks or volunteer in swing states.
“She’s got the energy, she’s got the brains, and I think the country is very anxious to see some younger, more relevant candidates,” Buell added.
Like many Harris supporters, Buell acknowledged that the vice president’s accelerated quest for the White House is an “uphill race.” Even on the fundraising front, Harris is in uncharted territory. The $81 million haul touted by the campaign on Monday would be more than what Harris raised in the entirety of her runs for president in 2019 ($43.8 million) and Senate in 2016 ($15.3 million).
Kounalakis said Harris backers left the Monday morning meeting with a call to grow the vice president’s networks of support.
“Elections are about addition, and it’s up to us to widen these circles and deepen the support for her,” she said. “That is the only way that we’re actually going to be able to have victory in November.”
Harris’ campaign said that 60% of the donors in the last 24 hours made their first donation of the 2024 election.
Aimee Allison, founder of She the People, a national organization that promotes the leadership of women of color, said some of Harris’s most loyal supporters live outside of California. Allison pointed to Harris’s membership in Alpha Kappa Alpha, the nation’s oldest Black sorority.
“She has deep roots in the South, in Georgia, and as an AKA with these Black women networks that really stretch nationally but are deeply rooted in the South,” Allison said. “Those really powerful networks are going to be important as well.”
