Democrats have raised $100 million from donors through ActBlue, their main fundraising platform, just one day after President Joe Biden announced he would not be seeking re-election. This figure was reported by Ryan Murphy, a developer at The Marshall Project, who tracks fundraising totals. While this amount is based on ActBlue’s own records, it offers insight into the fundraising landscape ahead of official disclosures.
On Sunday alone, donors contributed $66.9 million to Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign launch, marking the highest fundraising day of the 2024 cycle for ActBlue. The next most significant day for donations was during the first presidential debate between Biden and Trump on September 30, 2020.
The surge in donations has helped ActBlue exceed $14 billion in total funds raised since its inception two decades ago. In contrast, WinRed, the Republican fundraising platform that began in late 2019, has raised approximately $4.3 billion.
ActBlue reported a surge in first-time donations following Biden’s announcement, emphasizing the growth of grassroots support. Future Forward, a super PAC aligned with Biden, secured $150 million in new commitments from major donors within 24 hours of his announcement and endorsement of Harris. Additionally, the organization Swing Left mentioned raising over $160,000 in the same timeframe.
Roger Altman, founder of Evercore, expressed confidence in Harris’s campaign finances and pledged his support. Democratic mega-donors George and Alex Soros have also thrown their weight behind her candidacy.
Previously, Biden experienced significant fundraising spikes after his debates with Trump, including raising $28 million after a debate in June 2020. Following Trump’s recent felony convictions, Trump’s campaign saw a surge of $69 million in 24 hours, causing momentary crashes on their website.
From April to June, pro-Biden groups raised $332.4 million, while pro-Trump groups garnered $431.2 million, leading to Biden having $281 million in hand compared to Trump’s $336.2 million by the end of June.