Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign and affiliated Democratic groups have maintained a significant financial advantage over Republican candidate Donald Trump in the final stretch of the election, raising a staggering $633 million in the past quarter. This brings their total fundraising to over $1 billion, The Associated Press reports.
The vice president’s campaign, the Democratic National Committee, and state parties generated more than $359 million in September alone, with Harris’ campaign accounting for $222 million of that figure. Notably, despite the large influx of funds, the Harris campaign spent more than it received in September, disbursing approximately $270 million to fuel a massive advertising campaign across various platforms including radio, television, online, and billboards.
According to federal filings, the Harris campaign and affiliated committees entered October with $346 million in cash on hand.
In contrast, the Trump campaign, the Republican National Committee, and affiliated groups reported raising $160 million in September, an increase from the $130 million raised in August. They began October with $283 million in the bank.
The Harris campaign, which has consistently outpaced Trump and the GOP in fundraising since taking over from President Joe Biden in July, broke with tradition by not pre-announcing their quarterly fundraising figures before filing financial records.
Despite this, the campaign boasted that 95% of their third-quarter donations were under $200, with over 13.1 million contributions from 6 million donors. This included 4.3 million first-time donors in this election cycle.
The campaign’s fundraising efforts were further bolstered by star-studded events. In a single weekend in late September, Harris raised $55 million during a fundraising blitz in California. She raised $28 million at a Los Angeles event featuring celebrities like Jessica Alba, Lily Tomlin, and Stevie Wonder, and an additional $27 million at a San Francisco event attended by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The previous weekend, Harris raised $27 million at a lavish fundraiser in New York City.
