Following President Joe Biden’s announcement that he will not pursue re-election, the Democratic Party saw a remarkable influx of donations, raising $100 million through its primary fundraising platform, ActBlue, within just two days.
Ryan Murphy, a developer at The Marshall Project, provides a live tracker for ActBlue, which recorded this significant amount, although it is not officially verified and is based on ActBlue’s ongoing tally since its inception in 2004. This surge in funds comes at a crucial time, with required disclosures still weeks away.
On Sunday alone, donations reached $66.9 million for Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign, marking the largest fundraising day in the 2024 cycle for ActBlue. This surpassed prior significant fundraising days, including one on September 30, 2020, coinciding with the first presidential debate between Biden and Trump.
As a result of this recent fundraising wave, ActBlue has accumulated $14 billion since its launch two decades ago, while its Republican counterpart, WinRed, which started in late 2019, has raised approximately $4.3 billion.
ActBlue responded to the surge by highlighting a wave of new small-dollar donors joining their efforts via a statement on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. Future Forward, a super PAC aligned with Biden, reported $150 million in new commitments from major donors in the 24 hours following Biden’s announcement and support for Harris. Other groups, such as Swing Left, also noted significant fundraising success, raising over $160,000 in the same timeframe.
Evercore founder Roger Altman expressed confidence in Harris’s campaign, stating it would be “very well financed” and affirmed his support. Prominent Democratic donors, including George and Alex Soros, have also pledged their backing for Harris.
In previous fundraising efforts, Biden experienced substantial contributions immediately after a debate loss to Trump on June 27, raising about $28 million in the following days. He also raised $19.2 million after Trump was convicted on multiple felony counts, while Trump’s campaign and affiliated groups drew in $69 million in the immediate aftermath of that conviction.
Between April and June, pro-Biden organizations collected $332.4 million, whereas pro-Trump entities raised $431.2 million, as reported by The Financial Times. By the end of June, Biden had $281 million in available funds compared to Trump’s $336.2 million.