The Kamala Harris presidential campaign raised a record-high $81 million in the 24 hours after Biden dropped out of the race..The Passing of the Torch.In a statement, 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. Already, we are seeing a broad and diverse coalition come together to support our critical work of talking to the voters that will decide this election." Future Forward, the largest Democratic super-PAC in the country, announced that it had also secured $150 million in new commitments over the same period, largely from fence-sitting voters who were reluctant to support the Biden campaign..Biden's withdrawal from the race came as a surprise to many; the President had denied the possibility of dropping out on multiple occasions. In one interview, Biden told ABC News's George Stephanopoulos that only "The Lord Almighty" could convince him to end his campaign. Despite this, twenty-two Democrat officials publicly called on him to step down..Biden's official announcement did not give a reason for his withdrawal. The letter reads, "It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term." As for more specifics regarding this move, the President said, "I will speak to the Nation later this week in more detail about my decision.".Shortly after announcing his withdrawal, Biden officially endorsed Kamala Harris to be the new Democratic nominee for President in a post on X, saying, "Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it's time to come together and beat Trump. Let's do this." Since then, every Democratic governor and a majority of Congressional Democrats have publicly supported Harris's election bid..Shifting Tides.Substituting Harris for Biden appears to be an effective strategic move for the Democratic party. Analysis conducted by the Washington Post of 11 recent polls found that on average, Harris trails Republican nominee Donald Trump by 1.5 points. This is an improvement over Biden, who trailed Trump by an average of 1.9 points in the same polls..In response to the switch, Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to call for the Democratic party to reimburse his campaign for fraud, saying, "So, we are forced to spend time and money on fighting Crooked Joe Biden, he polls badly after having a terrible debate, and quits the race. Now we have to start all over again. Shouldn't the Republican Party be reimbursed for fraud in that everybody around Joe, including his doctors and the Fake News Media, knew he was not capable of running for, or being, President? Just askin'?".In an official statement accepting Biden's endorsement, Harris set her sights on uniting her party and winning the White House in 2024, saying, "I am honored to have the President's endorsement, and my intention is to earn and win this nomination. Over the past year, I have traveled across the country, talking with Americans about the clear choice in this momentous election. And that is what I will continue to do in the days and weeks ahead. I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party—and unite our nation—to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda."
The Kamala Harris presidential campaign raised a record-high $81 million in the 24 hours after Biden dropped out of the race..The Passing of the Torch.In a statement, 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. Already, we are seeing a broad and diverse coalition come together to support our critical work of talking to the voters that will decide this election." Future Forward, the largest Democratic super-PAC in the country, announced that it had also secured $150 million in new commitments over the same period, largely from fence-sitting voters who were reluctant to support the Biden campaign..Biden's withdrawal from the race came as a surprise to many; the President had denied the possibility of dropping out on multiple occasions. In one interview, Biden told ABC News's George Stephanopoulos that only "The Lord Almighty" could convince him to end his campaign. Despite this, twenty-two Democrat officials publicly called on him to step down..Biden's official announcement did not give a reason for his withdrawal. The letter reads, "It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term." As for more specifics regarding this move, the President said, "I will speak to the Nation later this week in more detail about my decision.".Shortly after announcing his withdrawal, Biden officially endorsed Kamala Harris to be the new Democratic nominee for President in a post on X, saying, "Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it's time to come together and beat Trump. Let's do this." Since then, every Democratic governor and a majority of Congressional Democrats have publicly supported Harris's election bid..Shifting Tides.Substituting Harris for Biden appears to be an effective strategic move for the Democratic party. Analysis conducted by the Washington Post of 11 recent polls found that on average, Harris trails Republican nominee Donald Trump by 1.5 points. This is an improvement over Biden, who trailed Trump by an average of 1.9 points in the same polls..In response to the switch, Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to call for the Democratic party to reimburse his campaign for fraud, saying, "So, we are forced to spend time and money on fighting Crooked Joe Biden, he polls badly after having a terrible debate, and quits the race. Now we have to start all over again. Shouldn't the Republican Party be reimbursed for fraud in that everybody around Joe, including his doctors and the Fake News Media, knew he was not capable of running for, or being, President? Just askin'?".In an official statement accepting Biden's endorsement, Harris set her sights on uniting her party and winning the White House in 2024, saying, "I am honored to have the President's endorsement, and my intention is to earn and win this nomination. Over the past year, I have traveled across the country, talking with Americans about the clear choice in this momentous election. And that is what I will continue to do in the days and weeks ahead. I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party—and unite our nation—to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda."
