U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris has seen a surge in endorsements and funding, a day after President Joe Biden abandoned his reelection campaign and endorsed her as his successor.
The Harris for President campaign, now formally changed from the Biden-Harris campaign, announced Monday that it had raised $81 million in the first 24 hours. No candidate has ever raised more in a single day, according to the campaign.
Over 888,000 grassroots donors made donations, with 60% of them making their first contribution in the 2024 cycle, a statement by campaign spokesperson Kevin Munoz said. “The historic outpouring of support for Vice President Harris represents exactly the kind of grassroots energy and enthusiasm that wins elections,” Munoz said.
So far, 246 Democrats had endorsed Harris as of Monday evening, according to a Washington Post tracker following 263 congressional Democrats, including independents who caucus with the party, and 23 Democratic governors. Endorsers included potential presidential candidates California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly.
“Vice President Harris has my full support,” Whitmer said in a statement posted Monday on X, formerly Twitter. “So Michigan, let’s get to work. We cannot let Donald Trump anywhere near the White House.” Her call for party unity aimed to keep the ex-president and Republican candidate from returning to power.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is seen as a key figure in the Democratic Party and was instrumental in persuading Biden to step aside, endorsed Harris on Monday. “I have full confidence that she will lead us to victory in November,” Pelosi wrote on X.
Those not endorsing Harris include Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York state and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, also of New York. The two played central roles in persuading Biden to step aside and want to avoid the image of elites choosing his successor, according to party sources.
Speaking at an event on the White House lawn Monday, Harris said Biden’s legacy of accomplishment over the past three years is unmatched in modern history. “In one term, he has already surpassed the legacy of most presidents who have served two terms in office,” she said. Harris said that “we are deeply, deeply grateful” for Biden’s service to the country.
Matt Bennett, executive vice president for public affairs at centrist Democratic think tank Third Way, said the party faces a major challenge in winning back blue-collar workers after soaring inflation hurt working-class Americans.
There has been “enormous erosion in working-class support for Democrats, not just white working class, but people of color also,” Bennett said. “It is definitely a serious concern.”
Bennett said Harris, the presumptive Democratic candidate, will need to convince voters that the economy is on the right track. The challenge is that “inflation is very personal and affects everyone, whereas unemployment does not,” he said. For 40 years, politicians have focused on unemployment figures, Bennett said. But the reality is that unemployment is a major concern for those who have lost their jobs but perhaps not so much for those who haven’t, he said.
“We’ve never really had inflation, in the experience of most Americans under the age of 50,” Bennett said. “It’s a rude awakening. It’s very much a new phenomenon.”
Bennett also highlighted why the Teamsters’ crossing of party lines could deal a blow to the Democratic camp. The trade union has largely leaned toward the Democrats in recent years. But Teamsters President Sean O’Brien said at last week’s Republican National Convention that the union’s support goes to the politician who stands up for blue-collar workers, regardless of political leanings. “We want to know one thing: What are you doing to help American workers?” he said, drawing loud applause.
