The campaign of Kamala Harris, the US vice-president, confirmed on Sunday that she has amassed a staggering $200 million (€184 million) in less than seven days for her White House venture. The aim is that this rapid injection of funding will bolster her odds against competitor Donald Trump. This substantial financial support came as the political rivalry between Harris and Trump heightened.
It was merely one week ago that the serving US president, Joe Biden, decided to step down from running for a second term, expressing his support for Vice-President Harris to replace him. This has significantly changed the dynamics of the political race. Harris has since successively rallied the Democratic Party around her candidacy and closed the gap in the opinion polls against Trump, as compared to Biden’s efforts.
At a fundraising event in Massachusetts last Saturday, Harris admitted that despite her campaign’s promising start, Trump remains the front-runner for the November election, scheduled 100 days from now. Addressing the contributors, she described her campaign as representing the underdogs and fueled by the people.
Harris has a crucial responsibility to encourage more fundraising to compensate for the dip in donations contributed to Biden following his poor performance in the late June debate against Trump. Michael Tyler, Harris’s campaign communications director, dubbed the initial week’s fundraising total of $200 million as an “unprecedented collection.”
He remarked, “Out of the total funds, 66 per cent were contributed by first-time backers, which further validates widespread, grassroots support for the vice-president.”
Contrastingly, at a Minnesota rally two weeks after an unsuccessful assassination effort, Trump fiercely criticised Harris. Adjusting his campaign to now focus on Harris instead of Biden, Trump denounced her as “evil”. He suggested that the core principles of the American Dream would be under threat if “a crazy liberal like Kamala Harris” wins.
Trump briefly encouraged a sense of “unity” in US politics following an assassination attempt on his life. But he soon hinted at his intention to abandon tact, saying on Saturday that his demeanour hasn’t changed – perhaps it’s become sharper due to the daily incompetency he observes.
Trump faced backlash on Friday for suggesting to a group of Christian conservatives that they wouldn’t have to cast their votes in four years if they voted him into office this year.
Meanwhile, Harris and her team have been fortifying their criticisms against Trump. She has positioned him as a danger to fundamental American rights, from voting and abortion rights to economic stability. Furthermore, she berated Trump and his vice president JD Vance for their peculiar and extreme behaviour.
Harris quipped on Saturday, “You’ve probably caught on to the fact that Donald Trump has been spreading outlandish falsity about my record. And some remarks made by him and his vice president are purely bizarre. That’s where those statements belong.”
When Biden withdrew from the race seven days ago, Trump was ahead by 3.2% in the national polls, as indicated by the Fivethirtyeight.com mean. Nevertheless, there are indications that Harris is narrowing this margin.
According to a Wall Street Journal poll, Trump is 2% ahead of Harris among registered voters in a direct throwdown and trails by 1% when candidates from third parties are considered. Certain deciding state polls have also indicated a closer race. Fox News surveys, for instance, have shown Trump and Harris in a draw in Pennsylvania and Michigan.
The Republican governor of New Hampshire, Chris Sununu – a former Trump critic turned supporter, conceded that Harris’s campaign has resurrected the race, and that the Democrats will carry the “momentum” into their convention next month.
However, he also expressed the belief that the honeymoon phase will terminate in September, and provided Trump restrained from personal accusations to focus on policy disparities, especially involving the economy and immigration, he will relay a stronger message.
Sununu expressed his hopes to ABC that the poll figures will help Trump realise what tactics have been successful and which ones have not.
In the television show, Democratic Governor JB Pritzker from Illinois stated that there was an evident shift in momentum towards Harris. He highlighted that voters were fired up and that Democrats were prepared for action. Pritzker also mentioned the massive turnout of people who registered to volunteer, reaching into hundreds of thousands.
© The Financial Times Limited 2024.