US Vice President Kamala Harris has seen an outpouring of support and financial contributions since Joe Biden announced he would not be running for president in 2024, choosing instead to endorse her candidacy. In just the first 24 hours following Biden’s announcement, the campaign received $81 million in contributions from over 888,000 grassroots donors. Of these donations, a significant 60% were from individuals who had not previously contributed during this election cycle.
Campaign spokesperson Kevin Munoz highlighted the importance of this support, stating that it represented “exactly the kind of grassroots energy and enthusiasm that wins elections.” Future Forward, the largest Democratic political action committee in the United States, also reported an influx of funds, securing $150 million in new commitments from major donors in the same 24-hour period.
Biden’s decision to end his reelection campaign and support Harris’s bid for the presidency came after weeks of pressure from Democratic politicians, donors, and journalists who expressed concerns about his mental fitness and ability to defeat former President Donald Trump. Despite initially refusing to abandon his presidential run, Biden eventually agreed that it was in “the best interest of my party and the country” for him to step aside and support Harris as the new Democratic nominee.
Since then, a number of high-profile Democrats have publicly endorsed Harris, including more than 40 senators, nearly 100 House members, and several governors such as Gavin Newsom of California, J.B. Pritzker of Illinois, and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania. The final nominee for the Democratic party will be decided at their convention in August.
In contrast, last week Republicans nominated Trump as their candidate for president, with Senator J.D. Vance from Ohio chosen to run alongside him as his running mate. Trump survived an assassination attempt during a July 13 rally in Pennsylvania, where a gunman’s bullet grazed his right ear. The FBI has not yet identified a clear motive for the shooting, which resulted in the shooter being neutralized during the confrontation.