Since President Joe Biden withdrew from the presidential race on Sunday, Democrats have contributed over $100 million (£77 million) to Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign, according to her team.
The impressive total includes a record-breaking $81 million raised during a single 24-hour period. During this time, more than 888,000 individuals donated up to $200 each through the progressive donation platform ActBlue.
Donors who had previously reduced their support due to concerns about Biden’s age are now resuming their contributions to the party.
The surge in donations following Biden’s exit represents the largest influx of online contributions to Democrats since 2020, when ActBlue raised $73.5 million after the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, as reported by the New York Times.
This influx of funds signifies a major shift for the Democratic Party, which had experienced a decline in support from major donors following Biden’s underwhelming performance in June’s presidential debate against Donald Trump.
Grassroots funding from small donors had also decreased, according to Biden campaign insiders.
However, after Biden’s withdrawal and his endorsement of Harris, Democrats rapidly mobilized online, contributing at an unprecedented rate.
“Grassroots supporters are energized and excited to support (Ms Harris) as the Democratic nominee,” ActBlue wrote on X.
Win With Black Women, a coalition of Black women leaders, hosted a Zoom call with over 44,000 participants on Sunday night to show their support for the Vice President.
The group reported raising more than $1.5 million in just three hours for her presidential campaign.
Joe Cotchett, a San Francisco-based Democratic political fundraiser, told NBC News that donors “are now eager to contribute.”
Gideon Stein, president of the Moriah Fund and a party donor, mentioned he would resume his support after previously halting it due to concerns about Biden’s electability.
Several prominent political donors have also expressed their support for Harris as the Democratic party nominee.
Reid Hoffman, LinkedIn co-founder, described the Vice President as “the right person at the right time.”
“I wholeheartedly support Kamala Harris and her candidacy for President of the United States in our fight for democracy in November,” he said in a post on X.
Another big name political donor, Alexander Soros, the son of philanthropist George Soros, said Ms Harris was “the best and most qualified candidate we have”.
But others, like entrepreneur and investor Vinod Khosla, called for an open process at the convention and “not a coronation”.
“The key still is who can best beat Trump above all other priorities,” he wrote on X.
Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings, known to be a Democratic megadonor, previously told the New York Times Biden should step down as the Democratic party nominee.
“Dem delegates need to pick a swing state winner,” he wrote on X on Sunday following Mr Biden’s announcement.