In the hours that followed President Joe Biden’s announcement that he would step aside from the race for president, Democrats swarmed Vice President Kamala Harris with their endorsements — and their cash.
On Monday, the Harris campaign announced that it had raised $81 million across the campaign, the Democratic National Committee and joint fundraising committees in the 24 hours since launching her campaign. The eye-popping total, which the campaign says is the largest 24-hour haul in U.S. presidential history, adds to a $240 million war chest that she inherited from Biden.
"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," said campaign spokesman Kevin Munoz. "There is a groundswell behind Kamala Harris, and Donald Trump is terrified because he knows his divisive, unpopular agenda can’t stand up to the Vice President’s record and vision for the American people.”
The total is comprised of 880,000 donors, per the campaign, 60% made their first contribution in the 2024 cycle. The campaign also said it added 43,000 new recurring donors.
After Biden’s exit from the race, which prompted numerous outpourings of support and admiration for the incumbent Democrat, things began moving quickly for Harris: his campaign formally filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to rename itself “Harris for President,” the vice president held calls with Democratic leaders and power players, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a source confirmed to Spectrum News, and the endorsements started pouring in from lawmakers, state parties, former presidents and presidential candidates and more.
Even the Biden campaign’s rapid response account on social media, formerly known as @BidenHQ, was changed to “Kamala HQ” — complete with a header photo paying tribute to musician Charli XCX, who appeared to offer support for Harris’ candidacy in a widely viewed post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Also Sunday night, tens of thousands of Black women took part in a Zoom call organized by Win With Black Women in support of Harris, according to those who participated. Per the campaign, that call raised $1.6 million in grassroots donations alone.
Here’s some of the support that Harris has received for her presidential bid:
In the letter announcing he would be stepping down from the ticket that rocked the political world on Sunday afternoon, Biden did not make mention of backing Harris, only calling her a “extraordinary partner in all this work.”
But minutes later, in a separate post on social media, the president offered his one-time running mate his full-throated endorsement.
“My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President,” Biden wrote. "And it’s been the best decision I’ve made. 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.”
Nancy Pelosi endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president on Monday, ending a brief period of speculation about whether or not the former House speaker and Democratic power player would offer an endorsement ahead of next month's Democratic National Convention.
"Today, it is with immense pride and limitless optimism for our country's future that I endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for President of the United States," Pelosi said in a statement posted to social media. "My enthusiastic support for Kamala Harris for President is official, personal and political."
“Officially, I have seen Kamala Harris’s strength and courage as a champion for working families, notably fighting for a woman’s right to choose,” Pelosi wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, on Monday. “Personally, I have known Kamala Harris for decades as rooted in strong values, faith and a commitment to public service.
“Politically, make no mistake: Kamala Harris as a woman in politics is brilliantly astute — and I have full confidence that she will lead us to victory in November.”
Bill and Hillary Clinton
Former President Bill Clinton and 2016 nominee Hillary Clinton, the former first lady, U.S. Senator and secretary of state, hailed Biden's decades of service to the country in a statement, adding that they are “honored” to join him in backing Harris and pledged to “do whatever we can to support her.”
“We've lived through many ups and downs, but nothing has made us more worried for our country than the threat posed by a second Trump term,” they wrote. “He has promised to be a dictator on day one, and the recent ruling by his servile Supreme Court will only embolden him to further shred the Constitution. Now is the time to support Kamala Harris and fight with everything we've got to elect her. America's future depends on it.”
Former Secretary of State John Kerry
John Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, offered Harris his support in November’s election.
“For democracy, alliances, economic fairness, and the future of our planet, now is the time to listen to the only person who has ever beaten Donald Trump, and join with President Biden in every effort to make Vice President Harris the next President of the United States,” Kerry said on social media. “No citizen of good conscience should stay on the sidelines.”
South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn
Clyburn, a key House Democrat whose endorsement was crucial to Biden's victory in South Carolina’s primary in 2020, which boosted his lagging campaign, offered Harris his backing on Sunday.
“I echo the good judgment [Biden] demonstrated in selecting Vice President Harris to lead this nation alongside him, and I am proud to follow his lead in support of her candidacy," Clyburn said.
The Congressional Black Caucus
In a statement on Sunday, the influential group’s political action committee released a statement on behalf of Chairman Steven Horsford, D-Nev., and CBCPAC Chair Gregory Meeks, N.Y., backing Harris.
“The Congressional Black Caucus PAC joins President Biden in fully supporting Kamala Harris as our party’s nominee,” the statement reads. "She has been instrumental in delivering the accomplishments of the last 3.5 years and has led on lowering maternal mortality rates, protecting reproductive freedoms, and ensuring economic opportunities for all. She will do an excellent job as President of the United States.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom
Newsom, a name floated as a possible replacement for Biden and future Democratic presidential contender, threw his support behind his fellow Californian on Sunday.
“Tough. Fearless. Tenacious. With our democracy at stake and our future on the line, no one is better to prosecute the case against Donald Trump's dark vision and guide our country in a healthier direction than America’s Vice President, @KamalaHarris," he wrote on social media.
Pritzker, a member of one of the richest families in the United States and a prom,inent Biden surrogate, offered Harris his endorsement on Monday.
Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown
A spokesperson for Brown, one of the most vulnerable Democrats running for reelection in November, told Spectrum News that he is supporting Harris.
The incumbent is one of two Senate Democrats running for reelection in November in a state Trump won in 2020. He called on Biden to step aside on Friday.
“I thank President Biden for his years of committed service to the country we love — as Senator, as Vice President, and as President,” Brown wrote on social media on Sunday.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro
A popular governor in a key battleground state seen as a potential running mate for Harris, Shapiro called her a “patriot worthy of our support” who has “served the country honorably” and is “ready to be president.”
The best path forward for the Democratic Party is to quickly unite behind Vice President Harris and refocus on winning the presidency,” he said in a statement, pledging to do “everything I can” to help elect her.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper
Cooper, another potential running mate pick, spoke briefly to Harris on Sunday by phone and expressed his support for her to be the nominee, a source familiar told Spectrum News.
In a post on social media on Sunday, Cooper said that "Kamala Harris should be the next President.”
"I’ve known @VP going back to our days as AGs, and she has what it takes to defeat Donald Trump and lead our country thoughtfully and with integrity," he wrote. "I look forward to campaigning for her as we work to win NC up and down the ticket."
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg
After a meteoric rise in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary — outlasting Harris and outpacing Biden in the first two contests — the former mayor of South Bend, Ind., has found himself in Biden’s Cabinet and as one of the president’s most called upon surrogates.
In a post on social media, he vowed to “do all that I can” to support his former rival. “Kamala Harris is now the right person to take up the torch, defeat Donald Trump, and succeed Joe Biden as President,” Buttigieg said in a statement. "I have seen her extraordinary leadership firsthand," he said of Harris. "I will do all that I can to help her win this election and lead America forward as our next President."
New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
The New York progressive hailed Harris in a social media post, vowing her “full support to ensure her victory in November.”
“Kamala Harris will be the next President of the United States,” she wrote on social media, later adding: “Now more than ever, it is crucial that our party and country swiftly unite to defeat Donald Trump and the threat to American democracy. Let’s get to work.”
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy
Murphy, a one-time chair of the National Governors Association widely viewed as having White House ambitions, called Harris “an outstanding VP” who “has what it takes to be an even better President.”
“She’s a former prosecutor who will draw a sharp contrast against Trump,” Murphy, a former Goldman Sachs executive who served as ambassador to Germany under President Barack Obama, wrote on social media. “She has my full support as our presidential nominee and I urge all Democrats to unite behind her candidacy.”
Spectrum News’ Cassie Semyon, Ryan Chatelain Kevin Frey, Reuben Jones and Taylor Popielarz contributed to this report.