Following President Joe Biden’s announcement that he would not pursue re-election, Democrats managed to raise $100 million from donors through ActBlue, their primary fundraising platform.
In just two days, ActBlue, which serves as a political action committee for Democratic initiatives, recorded this significant amount according to a live tracker developed by Ryan Murphy at The Marshall Project. While this figure is unofficial and based on ActBlue’s own tracking since 2004, it highlights the fundraising momentum just ahead of formal disclosure deadlines.
On Sunday, alone, supporters donated $66.9 million to kick-start Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign, marking a record fundraising day for ActBlue in the current election cycle. The previous high for the platform was observed on September 30, 2020, during the first presidential debate between Biden and Trump.
This remarkable fundraising effort contributed to ActBlue surpassing $14 billion in total cash raised since its establishment two decades ago. In contrast, WinRed, the Republican fundraising platform launched in late 2019, has accrued approximately $4.3 billion according to OpenSecrets.
ActBlue expressed enthusiasm for the influx of first-time donors, stating on social media, “It’s so motivating to see new small-dollar donors join the grassroots movement!”
In addition, the super PAC Future Forward, which backs Biden, secured $150 million in commitments from major donors shortly after Biden’s announcement and endorsement of Harris. Additionally, Swing Left reported raising over $160,000 within the same timeframe.
Roger Altman, founder of Evercore, indicated that Harris’s campaign would be well-financed and expressed his support. Prominent Democratic donors George and Alex Soros have also shown their backing for Harris.
Historically, Biden’s strongest fundraising days occurred after key events such as his debate defeat against Trump on June 27, when he and his committees raised about $28 million in just 24 hours. Following Trump’s felony conviction on 34 counts, Biden raised $19.2 million in the subsequent days, while Trump and his aligned groups garnered $69 million during the same period, which even caused a temporary crash of Trump’s campaign website. Additionally, an allied super PAC, Make America Great Again Inc., reported raising $70 million that month.
From April to June, fundraising by pro-Biden groups totaled $332.4 million, whereas pro-Trump groups raised $431.2 million. As of the end of June, Biden had $281 million in hand compared to Trump’s $336.2 million.