Just one day after President Joe Biden announced he would not run for re-election, Democrats managed to raise $100 million from donors via their primary fundraising platform.
ActBlue, the political action committee designated for Democratic fundraising, reported this significant amount over the past two days through a live tracker developed by Ryan Murphy of The Marshall Project. While this figure is unofficial and derives from ActBlue’s extensive donation tracking since 2004, it offers insights into the fundraising outcomes ahead of mandatory disclosure filings.
On Sunday alone, contributions soared to $66.9 million for Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign launch, marking the most substantial fundraising day in the 2024 cycle for ActBlue. The previous high for donations occurred on September 30, 2020, coinciding with the first presidential debate between Biden and Trump, as noted by Murphy’s tracker.
This influx of donations enabled ActBlue to surpass $14 billion in total funds raised since its inception two decades ago. In contrast, WinRed, the Republican fundraising platform that began operations in late 2019, has accumulated approximately $4.3 billion, according to OpenSecrets.
ActBlue noted in a statement on X, formerly Twitter, that many new donors reported making their first donations within the last 24 hours, highlighting the enthusiasm of grassroots supporters.
Future Forward, a super PAC aligned with Biden, received $150 million in new commitments from major donors shortly after Biden’s announcement and Harris’s endorsement, according to reports from Politico. Additionally, Swing Left, which initiated a fund to support the Democratic nominee, stated it raised over $160,000 within 24 hours.
Evercore’s founder Roger Altman expressed strong support for Harris’s campaign, claiming it would be “very well financed.” Notable Democratic donors George and Alex Soros have also shown their backing for Harris.
Historically, Biden has experienced significant fundraising boosts following key events, such as after a debate against Trump on June 27, when his committees raised around $28 million in just over a day. Following Trump’s recent conviction on multiple felony charges, Biden raised $19.2 million, while Trump and his affiliates raised $69 million in the days following his conviction.
Between April and June, pro-Biden fundraising efforts totaled $332.4 million, compared to pro-Trump groups, which amassed $431.2 million, as reported by The Financial Times. By late June, Biden’s campaign had $281 million available, while Trump had $336.2 million.