According to media reports, US Vice President Kamala Harris has successfully raised more than a billion dollars in donations since she was named the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee in July. That figure includes money raised for both her campaign and for a number of Democratic Party committees. 

Although neither the Harris nor Trump campaigns have publicly disclosed the figures, those who spoke to the numbers said the candidate had far exceeded the $1 billion mark, thus generating a huge financial head start for her in the presidential contest in 2024.

Fundamental Edge over Trump

This has played huge financial dividends for Harris as she heads into the final weeks of the campaign, well-positioned ahead of likely Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump. The latter and the RNC raised $130 million in August alone; thus, they would have approximately $295 million on hand. Harris and the DNC had $404 million available, making her clearly the driver of the campaign.

Harris’s campaign fundraising has gained pace with the election scheduled for November 5. According to The New York Times, her campaign raised $72 million in September from just three events in the last month of the quarter.

This would allow her to surpass Trump’s September fundraising of $160 million, which once again confirms her financial superiority in the campaign.

Role of Super PACs

In addition, while Harris’s campaign has received an impressive sum of some $13 million, Republicans are trying to close the gap through support from super political action committees (PACs). These organisations can collect unlimited sums of donations to support a candidate, though they are not allowed to coordinate directly with a campaign. In the United States, super PACs have become vital entities in presidential elections by providing additional funds for advertising, outreach efforts, and many other campaign operations.

According to OpenSecrets, a nonprofit research group tracking campaign finance, the biggest super PAC supporting Trump spent tens of millions of dollars more than the biggest PAC supporting Harris. Nevertheless, Harris’s total fundraising strength still gives her a huge lead in direct campaign resources.

Campaign Strategy Battleground States

This infusion of funds will allow Harris to up-scale her ads and campaign groundwork in the major battleground states. These are states where election outcomes are likely to be most competitive and where the presidency will ultimately be decided. Harris’s massive campaign war chest is one which will enable her to spend considerably more in these states, thereby increasing her chances of winning critical electoral votes.

Excluding Harris’s national leads in the last few polls, most swing states appear closer than callable at this point. For example, Pennsylvania remains one of the most crucial, influencing plays in this election; however, InsiderAdvantage recently polled that places Trump ahead of Harris by two. The same is also true for important states such as Michigan, Wisconsin, and Arizona, which remain a long way from being locked up.

 Final Thoughts

In the final phase, Harris’s fundraising success may be the difference-maker. Her campaign has gone beyond the billion-dollar fundraising threshold and promises to be on good footing in competing in the critical swing states. Her national advertising program remains unabated, but Republicans are working hard to catch up with super PACs and other means, and thus, the race remains very competitive as polls close to the final outcome.

All said and done, the most important thing that will be needed for Harris will be mobilization of resources and having strong campaign operations in the most competitive areas in a close and high-stakes election.