Harris campaign says it raised $82 million during convention week

By Theodore Schleifer

Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign said Sunday that it raised $82 million during the Democratic National Convention last week, the latest spurt of donor enthusiasm around a presidential bid that, according to the campaign, has now raised $540 million in the last month.

National party conventions are typically big-money moments for presidential candidates, offering nominees four days of lightly mediated exposure to a broad, if partisan, audience. Harris has been on a historic fundraising tear ever since President Joe Biden announced July 21 that he would no longer seek the Democratic nomination. The party convention, which took place from Monday to Thursday in Chicago, was full of messaging encouraging big and small donors alike to give to Harris’ campaign.

After the vice president’s speech accepting the Democratic nomination Thursday night, the Harris campaign saw its “best fundraising hour since launch day,” the campaign’s chair, Jen O’Malley Dillon, wrote in a memo Sunday, although she did not provide a specific amount. The $82 million total includes contributions to allied fundraising committees with the state and national parties.

The memo did not give day-by-day totals, but ActBlue, which processes online donations for many progressive causes, including Harris’ bid, reported that its platform raised $13 million Monday, $16.5 million Tuesday, $23 million Wednesday and almost $37 million Thursday.

Harris’ Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump, did not release similar fundraising numbers after his party’s convention in Milwaukee last month. While he was competitive with Biden in political fundraising through 2024, Harris opened a $50 million cash-on-hand advantage at the beginning of August, after she had ascended to the top of the Democratic ticket.

The $82 million raised during the four days of the Democratic convention is roughly on par with the $81 million the Harris campaign said it raised in the first 24 hours after Biden’s decision to drop out.