(AFP) – US Vice President Kamala Harris is receiving support from major Democratic Party donors after President Joe Biden bowed out of the White House race — boosting her bid to secure the party’s nomination.
Harris, 59, swiftly secured the backing of a flood of Democrats after receiving Biden’s endorsement on Sunday — including from California Governor Gavin Newsom and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, both touted as top presidential contenders.
But she still needs to persuade key hold-outs and convince some donors who are urging for an open contest to select the Democratic candidate that will take on Republican challenger Donald Trump.
Among major names to back Harris on Sunday afternoon were LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, who wrote on social media: “I wholeheartedly support Kamala Harris and her candidacy for President of the United States in our fight for democracy in November.”
Open Society Foundations chairman Alex Soros, son of billionaire philanthropist George Soros, also called for the public to “unite around Kamala Harris and beat Donald Trump.”
The Soros are known to be mega-donors, spending tens of millions per election cycle.
Evercore founder Roger Altman told CNBC on Monday that as a Wall Street donor, he would line up behind Harris as well — adding that he expects her campaign to be “very well-financed.”
“Suddenly the Democratic base has gone from demoralized to excited,” he said.
Her campaign appears to have energized large and small donors alike.
Democratic fundraising group ActBlue reported late Sunday its “biggest fundraising day of the 2024 cycle” with $46.7 million in small-donor contributions flowing in since Harris launched her campaign.
Swing Left, a grassroots group which launched a fund for the eventual Democratic nominee on Sunday, told AFP it raised over $160,000 in less than 24 hours from some 1,500 unique donors.
But others have urged an open process in selecting the Democratic nominee.
Donor Vinod Khosla called for an “open convention” and “a more moderate candidate” in a social media post shortly after Biden said he would not run for reelection.
He tagged Shapiro and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer in his post, calling the situation an “opportunity for a better moderate path.”
Another donor John Morgan wrote: “You have to be enthusiastic or hoping for a political appointment to be asking friends for money. I am neither.” –
© 2024 AFP
