Some prominent Democratic donors are reluctant to donate to Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign, suggesting she is too far-left and would never be able to beat Donald Trump.
“You have to be passionate or want to run for political office to raise money for your friends, and I’m neither of those things. Now it’s someone else’s turn,” said deep-pocketed donor John Morgan. I wrote to XThis came hours after President Biden announced he was withdrawing from the 2024 presidential race.
“The donors who have the $90 million can release it tomorrow. It’s all yours. Keep my $1 million. And good luck,” added Morgan, a personal injury lawyer from Florida, referring to a group of party donors who recently refused to allow their donations to be used to boost Biden’s widely seen as a failure.
Morgan previously donated $1 million to the Biden-Harris campaign.
He said he saw Biden’s endorsement of the Democratic Party’s controversial running mate as a “fuck you” act against the party that ousted him.
“Joe Biden’s endorsement of Kamala is a fucking slap to everyone who pushed him out,” Morgan wrote. “Be careful what you wish for.”
Morgan suggested he would like another, more centrist Democrat to take his place.
“Any combination of these guys would win,” Morgan said, naming Sen. Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.), Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, adding that former first lady Michelle Obama “would win in a landslide victory no matter which one of them is elected.”
Morgan’s criticism is bad news for the Harris campaign, which has been furiously courting donors and key allies since Biden’s withdrawal on Sunday afternoon.
Other key Democratic donors have also said they would rather have a hard-fought convention to see who can best beat Republican rival Trump, suggesting that Harris may be too weak to be a credible successor to Biden.
“I want an open process in the competition, not a coronation, and what matters is who can win best. [Trump] “Given how dangerous he is, this trumps all other priorities,” Vinod Khosrow, a Democratic donor and tech investor, wrote on X.
Major donor Reed Hastings also questioned Harris’s approval rating with voters.
“There’s hope now,” Hastings told The New York Times after the president’s withdrawal. “Democratic delegates need to pick the winners of the battleground states.”
“Thank you, Joe Biden,” he added.
While Harris already has the support of many key Democrats, some top leaders, including former President Barack Obama, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, have not fully endorsed her, at least for now.
Still, after Biden endorsed her on Sunday afternoon, she managed to raise $49.6 million in half a day, her campaign announced.
The vice president has three weeks to prove to donors and delegates that he is the best person to succeed Biden before the official presidential nominee is chosen at the Democratic National Convention.
Ms Harris seems likely to be a featured candidate at the convention, and most of the leading Democratic candidates who could challenge her have already endorsed her, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Mr Shapiro and Mr Beshear.
