Just a day after President Joe Biden announced he would not run for re-election, Democrats raised $100 million from donors through ActBlue, their primary fundraising platform. The total was recorded over two days, based on a live tracker managed by Ryan Murphy from The Marshall Project. While this figure is not officially confirmed, it highlights the fundraising activity ahead of the upcoming disclosure deadlines.
On Sunday alone, supporters contributed $66.9 million to Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign launch, marking a record fundraising day for ActBlue in the 2024 election cycle. In comparison, the second-highest single-day total for donations occurred on September 30, 2020, following the first presidential debate between Biden and Trump.
With this latest surge, ActBlue surpassed $14 billion in total funds raised since its inception two decades ago. In contrast, WinRed, the Republican equivalent that started in late 2019, has raised approximately $4.3 billion, according to OpenSecrets.
ActBlue announced on social media that many first-time donors made contributions within the last 24 hours, showcasing the engagement within the grassroots movement. Additionally, Future Forward, a super PAC supporting Biden, secured $150 million from major donors shortly after Biden’s announcement and endorsement of Harris. Another group, Swing Left, reported raising over $160,000 within the same timeframe.
Roger Altman, founder of Evercore, expressed confidence in Harris’s campaign, emphasizing that it will be well-funded, and noted the support from prominent Democratic donors, including George and Alex Soros.
Biden’s previous notable fundraising spikes occurred after he lost a televised debate to Donald Trump on June 27, raising approximately $28 million in the following days. He also garnered $19.2 million after Trump faced felony convictions. In May, Trump’s campaign had a brief surge in donations that crashed their website, raising $69 million in just two days following his conviction.
From April to June, pro-Biden groups raised $332.4 million, while pro-Trump entities collected $431.2 million. By the end of June, Biden had $281 million available, compared to Trump’s $336.2 million.