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In the days since President Joe Biden announced his plans not to seek re-election and Vice President Kamala Harris announced her campaign, a multiracial, multigenerational and gender-diverse coalition of voters have come together for virtual meetups that have fueled a fundraising boom for the Democrats.
To me, it has had the feel of an Avengers-like assemblage of all the coalitions Harris will need for a chance to win in November. No, this isn’t the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This is Kamala’s Democratic Universe.
The fundraising hauls speak to a palpable enthusiasm surrounding the Democratic Party’s de facto presidential nominee.
The fundraising hauls speak to a palpable enthusiasm surrounding the Democratic Party’s de facto presidential nominee. All of the calls have featured a variety of community organizers, celebrities and politicians mobilizing voters to cast ballots for Harris’ ticket this fall.
It started Sunday, when Win With Black Women hosted a Zoom call that the group said attracted 44,000 attendees and raised more than $1.5 million. The next day, a group of Black men under a similar banner, Win With Black Men, hosted a call that an organizer said attracted nearly 54,000 attendees and raised $1.3 million.
Several more virtual meetups have followed.
A Latinas for Harris call on Wednesday reportedly attracted 5,000 attendees and raised $110,000. The same night, a call hosted by South Asian Women for Harris drew 10,000 attendees and raised $285,000, according to an organizer. The latest whopping fundraising haul came Thursday night during a Zoom call intended for white women who support Harris, which an organizer said drew 164,000 participants and raised $2 million. (NBC News hasn’t confirmed these fundraising numbers independently.)
And the trend continues. A call was held Thursday for Black gay and queer men supporting Harris, and a similar call was organized for white men. And a national, coalition-wide Women for Harris call has been scheduled for Monday.
What a difference a week makes. Democrats had been enduring a storm of defections from Biden, their presumptive presidential nominee. But with Harris, there has been energy surrounding her, interest in her and investment in her — like no other Democrat in recent memory, perhaps other than Barack Obama.