According to information obtained by Fox News Digital, Vice President Harris’ presidential campaign has raised approximately $50 million in grassroots donations since President Biden gave up on re-election and endorsed her.
“Since the President endorsed Vice President Harris yesterday afternoon, ordinary Americans have given $49.6 million in grassroots contributions to her campaign,” the Harris campaign told Fox News Digital.
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The campaign told Fox News Digital that the figure represents grassroots donations raised from “all groups, including ActBlue.”
Harris announced her presidential bid on Sunday afternoon, shortly after Biden announced he was dropping out of the 2024 presidential race following pressure from within the Democratic Party.
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign rally in Las Vegas on June 28, 2024. (Bizayev Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
The unprecedented announcement comes as a growing number of Democrats have begun publicly calling for Biden to step down and party leaders are reportedly working to convince the Republican nominee in November’s general election that Biden cannot win against former President Trump, who he defeated to win the White House four years ago.
Biden quickly voiced his “full support and endorsement” of Harris becoming the party’s presidential nominee.
“Serving as your president has been the greatest honor of my life,” Biden said in the open letter. “While I intended to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and my country to step aside from office for the remainder of my term and focus on fulfilling the duties of my presidency.”
U.S. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden disembark from Air Force One upon arriving at McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey on June 29, 2024. Biden is in New Jersey for a campaign fundraiser. ((Photo Credit: Mandel NGAN/AFP) (Photo Credit: MANDEL NGAN/AFP, Getty Images))
Biden said he plans to formally address the nation about his decision later this week.
In a social media post, Biden endorsed Harris and voiced his support for her bid to become the party’s standard-bearer.
“My first decision as the nominee of my party in 2020 was to select Kamala Harris as my vice president, and it was the best decision I ever made. Today I fully endorse and support Kamala as our party’s nominee this year. Fellow Democrats, it’s time to unite and defeat Trump. Let’s do it,” Biden wrote.
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The president’s endorsement could discourage serious competition from other Democrats who might have been considering the nomination and pave the way for the vice president to succeed Biden as the party’s nominee.
President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. (Getty Images)
Harris has already received the endorsements of more than six governors, including California Governor Gavin Newsom and New York Governor Kathy Hockal, as well as more than 178 Democrats in the House and Senate.
“I am honored to have the President’s endorsement and intend to seek and win this nomination,” Harris said in a statement about two hours after Biden’s announcement.
“Over the past year, I have traveled the country speaking to Americans about the clear choice in this crucial election, and I will continue to do so in the days and weeks ahead,” she added. “I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party — and the country — to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda.”
The vice president praised his boss, thanking Biden for his “extraordinary leadership as president of the United States and his decades of service to our nation,” adding that “his extraordinary achievements are unparalleled in modern American history and surpass those of many two-term presidents.”
A source familiar with the matter told Fox News that Biden and Harris spoke multiple times on Sunday ahead of the president’s shock announcement.
Biden’s endorsement of Harris was quickly followed by two of the party’s elder statesmen, former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
“We are honored to join the President in endorsing Vice President Harris and will do all we can to support her.”
Biden/Harris campaign signs are seen during a press conference regarding the January 6, 2021 storming of the U.S. Capitol, May 29, 2024, in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Rhonda Churchill/AFP via Getty Images)
LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, one of the Biden campaign’s largest donors, also quickly endorsed Harris.
However, former President Obama has yet to endorse her, instead backing a process in which “outstanding” candidates are selected.
“We will be navigating uncharted territory, but I have extraordinary confidence that the leadership of our party can create a process that will produce high-quality candidates,” the former president wrote in the letter.
President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama were among many leading Democrats to praise Biden for putting country and party above personal ambition.
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“Joe Biden has been one of America’s greatest presidents and a dear friend and partner to me. Today we were also reminded that he is a patriot of the highest order,” the Obamas wrote.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer have not yet endorsed Harris.
Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
