Harris praises Biden's legacy in first remarks since announcing 2024 bid
Vice President Harris praises President Biden for his accomplishments in office, saying he has done more than other presidents and with less time than they had.
Vice President Harris raised $81 million in the first 24 hours since President Biden ended his re-election bid and endorsed his vice president to succeed him as the Democratic Party's presidential nominee, her campaign announced.
The Harris campaign touted in an email release on Monday afternoon that the money raised was the "largest 24-hour raise in presidential history."
The campaign said more than 888,000 grassroots donors made contributions during the 24 hours, with 60% of them making their first contribution during the 2024 election cycle. And the campaign says it signed up 43,000 of those donors to make recurring donations.
But the Harris campaign did not offer a breakdown of what percentage of the $81 million was raised online by small-dollar donations and what share came from top-dollar donors. The haul includes money raised by the campaign, the Democratic National Committee and joint fundraising committees.
Vice President Harris speaks from the South Lawn of the White House on July 22, 2024, during an event with college athletes. It was her first public appearance since President Biden endorsed her to be the next presidential nominee of the Democratic Party. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
"The historic outpouring of support for Vice President Harris represents exactly the kind of grassroots energy and enthusiasm that wins elections," 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."
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The one-day haul easily tops the nearly $53 million former President Trump’s campaign and the Republican National Committee announced that they brought in nearly two months ago through their online digital fundraising platform in the first 24 hours after Trump was convicted on 34 felony counts in his criminal trial in New York City.
Former President Trump is joined by wife Melania after his address at the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2024, in Milwaukee. (Fox News/Paul Steinhauser)
The Harris fundraising announcement comes as the party started to quickly coalesce behind the vice president after Biden ended his bid. The president endorsed Harris immediately after suspending his own campaign, which ignited a surge of endorsements by Democrat governors, senators, House members and other party leaders in backing the vice president to succeed Biden as the party's 2024 standard-bearer.
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Biden on Sunday suspended his campaign amid mounting pressure from within the Democratic Party for the president to drop out after a disastrous debate performance last month.
The 81-year-old president's uneven delivery and awkward answers during the first 20 minutes of the debate in front of a national audience quickly prompted questions about his mental and physical ability to serve another four years in the White House.
President Biden walks down the steps of Air Force One at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on July 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
The money brought in over the past 24 hours by Harris will help rebuild a once-massive Biden campaign war chest that was partially depleted as fundraising started to dry up amid the increasing chorus of calls for the president to drop out of the race.
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Munoz said in a statement that "there is a groundswell behind Kamala Harris, and 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."
The Biden campaign and the DNC enjoyed a fundraising lead over Trump and the RNC this year. But Trump and the RNC topped Biden and the DNC, $331 million to $264 million, during the April-June second quarter of 2024 fundraising.
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