Just a day after President Joe Biden announced he would not seek re-election, Democrats raised $100 million through ActBlue, their primary fundraising platform. This significant amount was recorded over the past two days, according to a tracker maintained by Ryan Murphy, a developer with The Marshall Project. While this figure is unofficial, it offers insights into the group’s fundraising efforts ahead of required disclosures.
On Sunday alone, donations reached $66.9 million following the launch of Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign, marking the highest single-day fundraising total for the 2024 cycle for ActBlue. The previous record was on September 30, 2020, coinciding with the first presidential debate between Biden and Trump.
ActBlue’s fundraising success allowed the platform to surpass $14 billion in total cash raised since its inception two decades ago. In contrast, its Republican counterpart, WinRed, has raised approximately $4.3 billion since its establishment in late 2019.
In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, ActBlue noted that many donors reported making their first contributions within the last 24 hours, highlighting the motivation of new small-dollar donors joining the grassroots effort.
Furthermore, Future Forward, a super PAC aligned with Biden, secured $150 million in new commitments from major donors shortly after Biden’s announcement and endorsement of Harris. Additionally, Swing Left reported raising over $160,000 within 24 hours to support the eventual Democratic nominee.
Evercore founder Roger Altman expressed confidence in the financing of Harris’s campaign and pledged his support. Prominent Democratic donors, George and Alex Soros, have also endorsed Harris.
Previously, Biden’s noteworthy fundraising moments occurred right after he was defeated by Donald Trump during a televised debate on June 27, when he and his committees raised around $28 million in just two days following the event. Biden also garnered $19.2 million after Trump faced legal troubles resulting in 34 felony counts. Trump’s campaign and allies raised $69 million within a day following his conviction, causing a temporary crash of his campaign website. An associated super PAC, Make America Great Again Inc., raised $70 million that month.
Between April and June, pro-Biden groups raised $332.4 million, while pro-Trump groups acquired $431.2 million. By the end of June, Biden had $281 million available compared to Trump’s $336.2 million.