With just 15 days remaining until Election Day in November, recent polls indicate a tight race for the White House between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump. However, when it comes to campaign fundraising, Harris has emerged as the clear frontrunner.
In September, the Harris campaign raised an impressive $221.8 million, significantly outpacing the $63 million brought in by the Trump campaign during the same period. A substantial portion of Harris' funds came from high-profile fundraisers in Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Since becoming the Democratic nominee three months ago, Harris has consistently outraised and outspent Trump. As of the end of September, the Harris campaign reported $187 million in cash on hand, compared to $119 million for the Trump campaign.
While these figures reflect the fundraising efforts of the two major party campaigns, they do not include additional funds raised by national party committees, affiliated organizations, or super PACs supporting Harris and Trump.
Earlier this year, Trump and the Republican National Committee surpassed Biden and the Democratic National Committee in fundraising during the second quarter of 2024. Biden experienced a brief surge in donations following a challenging debate performance against Trump, but ultimately decided to withdraw from the race in July.
Following Biden's exit, the Democratic Party rallied around Harris, leading to a significant increase in grassroots donations. The Harris campaign highlighted that 95% of its donations in the past three months were under $200.
Despite facing a fundraising deficit compared to Harris, the Trump campaign remains confident in its resources to effectively communicate its message to voters. Both campaigns are set to disclose their financial reports for the first 16 days of October later this week.
Fundraising plays a crucial role in campaign politics, serving as a key indicator of a candidate's popularity and the strength of their campaign. The funds raised are utilized for various purposes, including hiring staff, expanding outreach efforts, running advertisements across different platforms, and supporting candidate travel.
