US Vice-President Kamala Harris’s election campaign said on Sunday it has raised $200 million and signed up 170,000 new volunteers in the week since she became a presidential candidate.
US President Joe Biden ended his reelection bid on Sunday last week and endorsed Harris for the November vote against Republican former President Donald Trump.
“In the week since we got started, @KamalaHarris has raised $200 million dollars. 66 per cent of that is from new donors. We’ve signed up 170,000 new volunteers,” Harris’ deputy campaign manager, Rob Flaherty, posted on X.
Harris has secured support from a majority of delegates to the Democratic National Convention, likely ensuring she will become the party’s nominee for president next month.
Biden withdrew from the race amid questions about his age and health following a faltering debate performance against Trump in late June. Biden pledged to remain in office as president until his term ends on January 20, 2025.
Harris, the first Black woman and first Asian American to serve as vice-president, pulled in her first $100 million in the 36 hours after Biden’s announcement, her office said.
Harris’ takeover has reenergised a campaign that had faltered badly amid Democrats’ doubts about Biden’s chances of defeating Trump or his ability to continue to govern had he won.
Mitch Landrieu, a campaign co-chair, said on MSNBC that Harris “had one of the best weeks that we’ve seen in politics in the last 50 years”.
“This is going to be a very close race,” he said in a Sunday interview.