US Vice-President Kamala Harris's election campaign announced on Sunday that it has amassed $200 million and recruited 170,000 new volunteers since she declared her candidacy for president. Following US President Joe Biden's withdrawal from the reelection race last Sunday and his endorsement of Harris for the November election against former President Donald Trump, Harris's deputy campaign manager, Rob Flaherty, tweeted, "In the week since we kicked off, @KamalaHarris has garnered $200 million. 66 percent of this sum is from new donors. We've also enlisted 170,000 new volunteers."
Harris has already secured the backing of the majority of delegates at the Democratic National Convention, a likely indicator that she will be the party's presidential nominee next month. Biden decided to step down from the race due to concerns over his age and health, particularly after a less than stellar debate performance against Trump in late June. He affirmed his commitment to serving as president until his term concludes on January 20, 2025.
Harris, who is the first Black woman and Asian American to hold the position of vice-president, reportedly raised her initial $100 million within 36 hours of Biden's announcement. Her campaign has revitalized a previously struggling effort, as Democrats had expressed doubts about Biden's prospects of defeating Trump or his capacity to govern effectively if reelected.
Mitch Landrieu, a co-chair of the campaign, praised Harris's performance on MSNBC, calling it "one of the best weeks we've witnessed in politics over the past 50 years." In an interview on Sunday, he cautioned, "This is going to be a very tight race."
