Federal disclosures lodged late on Tuesday reveal that Kamala Harris’ primary campaign fundraising group amassed a significant four times the financial backing in July in comparison to Donald Trump’s campaign, indicating a surge of enthusiasm ahead of the US presidential election scheduled for November 5th.
The Harris campaign disclosed to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) that in the previous month, it had raised a sum of $204 million (£155 million), noticeably contrasting the $48 million (£36 million) reported by Trump’s principal fundraising entity.
Figures from the Harris campaign take into account funds raised in the month leading up to the official announcement of her candidacy on July 21st, which followed President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw his faltering re-election bid. Following this, Biden publicly endorsed the vice-president, Harris, who then assumed control of his fundraising efforts.
During the same month, Harris also outstripped Trump in spending, with figures reported to the FEC indicating expenditures of $81 million, as opposed to Trump’s $24 million.
Previous announcements from the Harris campaign stated that together with the chief Democratic Party fundraising entity, they had collectively sourced $310 million in July. In a similar vein, the Trump campaign had declared that, along with the Republican Party, they had jointly raised $138 million.
Although the presidential candidates collaborate with their respective parties, the money raised by the campaign itself holds particular importance as they are legally entitled to sizeable discounts on TV commercials, while full prices are mandatory for the parties and associated organisations.
Moreover, the Trump re-election campaign received a hefty $50 million (£38 million) donation last month from conservative billionaire Timothy Mellon, extending his support to the pro-Trump super Pac, known as MagaA Inc. Mellon, a member of the Pittsburgh-based Mellon banking dynasty, has reportedly donated at least $115 million (£87 million) to Maga Inc this year.
Maga Inc, a super Pac political fundraising entity, has emerged as one of the largest spenders in the election, with reports indicating it spent over $43 million (£33 million) in July alone to boost Trump’s campaign efforts. – Reuters
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