In a significant fundraising surge, Democrats have raised $100 million through their primary fundraising platform, ActBlue, just a day after President Joe Biden announced he would not seek re-election. According to a live tracker maintained by developer Ryan Murphy at The Marshall Project, this impressive sum was accumulated over the past two days.
On Sunday, donors contributed $66.9 million to support Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign, making it the largest single fundraising day in the 2024 election cycle for ActBlue. The previous record for donations occurred on September 30, 2020, coinciding with the first presidential debate between Biden and Trump.
The influx of donations has allowed ActBlue to surpass a significant milestone, reaching $14 billion raised since its inception two decades ago. In contrast, WinRed, the Republican fundraising platform launched in late 2019, has collected approximately $4.3 billion to date.
ActBlue expressed enthusiasm about the influx of first-time donors, stating on X, formerly Twitter, that the grassroots movement has been invigorated by new supporters making contributions. Additionally, Future Forward, a super PAC aligned with Biden, reported $150 million in new commitments from major donors shortly after Biden’s announcement and endorsement of Harris. Swing Left also noted that it raised over $160,000 within 24 hours of the announcement.
Notable financial figures, including Evercore founder Roger Altman, have pledged support for Harris’s campaign, marking it as “very well financed.” Democratic major benefactors George and Alex Soros have also expressed their backing.
Historically, Biden’s strongest fundraising days have followed intense political moments, such as after a debate where he faced Trump or following Trump’s recent felony convictions, which drew substantial contributions to both candidate’s efforts. In the months leading up to June 2023, pro-Biden factions raised $332.4 million, while pro-Trump groups collected $431.2 million. As of the end of June, Biden reported $281 million in available funds against Trump’s $336.2 million.