Democrats raised $100 million from donors through ActBlue, their primary fundraising platform, just one day after President Joe Biden announced he would not seek re-election.
According to a live tracker maintained by developer Ryan Murphy of The Marshall Project, the impressive amount was raised over the past two days, although this tally is not official as it is based on ActBlue’s own donation records since 2004.
On Sunday alone, donors contributed $66.9 million to Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign, signifying the highest fundraising day in the 2024 cycle for ActBlue. The previous record for fundraising occurred on September 30, 2020, during the first presidential debate between Biden and Trump.
This spike in donations allowed ActBlue to reach a significant milestone, having raised a total of $14 billion since its inception two decades ago. In contrast, its Republican counterpart, WinRed, has raised approximately $4.3 billion since its launch in late 2019.
ActBlue noted the eagerness of new donors, stating, “We’ve seen so many folks saying they made their first ever donation in the last 24 hours! It’s so motivating to see new small-dollar donors join the grassroots movement!”
Additionally, Future Forward, a super PAC aligned with Biden, secured $150 million in new commitments from major donors within a day of his announcement and endorsement of Harris. Swing Left reported raising over $160,000 in the same 24-hour period to support the eventual Democratic nominee.
Roger Altman, founder of Evercore, expressed confidence in Harris’s campaign, indicating that it will be “very well financed.” Prominent Democratic donors like George and Alex Soros have also shown their support for Harris.
In the past, Biden’s fundraising peaked shortly after a debate defeat against Trump on June 27, resulting in approximately $28 million raised in the following days. Following Trump’s conviction on 34 felony counts, Biden’s campaign raised $19.2 million, while Trump and his affiliates collected $69 million within a similar timeframe, prompting a temporary crash of Trump’s campaign website. Pro-Biden groups raised $332.4 million from April to June, compared to $431.2 million for pro-Trump groups. By the end of June, Biden had $281 million available, contrasted with Trump’s $336.2 million.