Just one day after President Joe Biden announced he would not run for re-election, the Democratic Party attracted $100 million in donations via its primary fundraising platform. ActBlue, a political action committee and fundraising platform for Democrats, noted this substantial sum over the previous two days, as tracked by Ryan Murphy from The Marshall Project. Though unofficial, this figure gives insight into the group’s fundraising capabilities before any formal disclosures.
On Sunday, alone, $66.9 million was raised for Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign, marking the largest single-day fundraising total in the 2024 election cycle for ActBlue. The previous record for donations in recent times occurred on September 30, 2020, during the first presidential debate between Biden and Trump.
Following the surge in donations, ActBlue reached a milestone of $14 billion raised since its establishment two decades ago. In comparison, WinRed, its Republican counterpart launched in late 2019, has collected approximately $4.3 billion, according to OpenSecrets.
ActBlue remarked on social media that many individuals reported making their first donations in the past day, showcasing the influx of new grassroots supporters.
Moreover, Future Forward, a super PAC aligned with Biden, garnered $150 million in new commitments from major donors shortly after Biden’s announcement and endorsement of Harris. Swing Left, which initiated a fund to support the Democratic nominee, reported raising over $160,000 in the same timeframe.
Roger Altman, founder of Evercore, expressed confidence in the financial backing for Harris’s campaign and announced his support. Prominent Democratic donors, including George and Alex Soros, have also extended their support to Harris.
Previously, Biden experienced significant fundraising boosts following defeats against Trump in debates, notably raising around $28 million between June 27 and June 28 after a stated loss in June. Additionally, he collected $19.2 million following Trump’s conviction on 34 felony charges, while Trump and his affiliated groups raised $69 million between May 30 and 31, briefly overwhelming his campaign website. In contrast, between April and June, pro-Biden organizations raised $332.4 million compared to $431.2 million for pro-Trump groups. By the end of June, Biden had $281 million available, while Trump had $336.2 million.