Just a day after President Joe Biden announced he would not seek re-election, the Democratic Party raised an impressive $100 million through ActBlue, its primary fundraising platform. This figure was highlighted by Ryan Murphy, a developer at The Marshall Project, who maintains a live tracker of the funds raised. Although the amount is not officially confirmed, it reflects strong fundraising activity in the lead-up to required disclosures.
On Sunday alone, donations surged to $66.9 million in support of Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign, marking the largest fundraising day of the 2024 cycle for ActBlue. The second highest was recorded on September 30, 2020, coinciding with the first presidential debate between Biden and Trump.
This recent influx of contributions propelled ActBlue’s total fundraising since its inception two decades ago to $14 billion. In comparison, WinRed, a Republican fundraising platform established in late 2019, has raised approximately $4.3 billion.
ActBlue noted the enthusiasm among new donors, with many indicating it was their first-ever contribution within the last 24 hours. Additionally, Future Forward, a super PAC aligned with Biden, secured $150 million in commitments from significant donors shortly after Biden’s announcement and endorsement of Harris. Swing Left reported raising over $160,000 within the same timeframe.
Roger Altman, founder of Evercore, expressed confidence in Harris’s campaign financing, while prominent donors like George and Alex Soros have also shown their support.
Historically, Biden’s strongest fundraising moments often followed significant political events. For instance, after a contentious debate defeat against Trump on June 27, Biden and his affiliates raised around $28 million in just two days. Following Trump’s conviction on 34 felony counts, Biden raised $19.2 million, while Trump and his associated groups raised $69 million in a single day after the conviction, causing a temporary crash of his campaign website.
From April to June, pro-Biden groups accumulated $332.4 million, while pro-Trump organizations raised $431.2 million. By the end of June, Biden had $281 million in funds available, compared to Trump’s $336.2 million.