Democratic presidential nominee and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris takes the stage on Day 4 of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., August 22, 2024.
Kevin Lamarque | Reuters
The Harris campaign announced on Sunday that it and its allies raked in a combined $40 million on the heels of Vice President Kamala Harris’ Thursday speech at the Democratic National Convention.
The windfall brings the total amount of money raised for Harris’ election efforts to $540 million since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race on July 21 and endorsed the vice president, according to the campaign.
NBC News cannot independently verify the numbers because the next round of Federal Election Commission data does not become available until September 20.
A third of donations from last week were from first-time contributors, according to a campaign memo authored by campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon. She also noted that just after Harris delivered her Thursday night speech, the campaign and its allies saw “our best fundraising hour since launch day.”
Fundraising numbers reflect an accumulation from the Harris campaign, the Democratic National Committee and joint fundraising committees, O’Malley Dillon said.
She called the convention a “galvanizing moment,” adding that the campaign was “taking no voters for granted and communicating relentlessly with battleground voters every single day between now and Election Day — all the while Trump is focused on very little beyond online tantrums and attacking the voters critical to winning 270 electoral votes.”
Volunteers supporting Harris’ election bid have signed up for “nearly 200,000 shifts since Monday,” which O’Malley Dillon said marked their “biggest week of organizing since the start of the campaign.”
The announcement comes as Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, prepare to head to Georgia for a bus tour on Wednesday. Harris will head to Savannah on Thursday for a rally, which comes after Tropical Storm Debby forced the campaign to cancel her planned visit earlier this month.
Speaker after speaker at the Democratic National Convention urged voters to get involved in Harris’ election effort.
“If we start feeling tired, if we start feeling that dread creeping back in, we’ve got to pick ourselves up, throw water on our faces, and do something!” said former first lady Michelle Obama in a rousing Tuesday night speech.
“Join me in promising your whole heart to this effort — that’s where my heart will be,” said Biden on the first night of the convention.
Campaign finance reports from last month showed that the Democratic presidential campaign raked in $204 million in July. Biden was at the top of the ticket until July 21, when he bowed out of the race and endorsed Harris.
Data from ActBlue, a platform that works to process online donations to Democrats, indicated that Harris’ election bid raised nearly $40 million the day Biden dropped out of the race.
Former President Donald Trump’s campaign had one of its best months yet in July but still raised less than a fourth of its opponent’s windfall, raking in $47.5 million that month, according to a campaign finance report.
