NATIONWIDE – Presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden's campaign raised $48 million in the first 48 hours Sen. Kamala Harris was on as his running mate, a campaign spokesman told Reuters Thursday night.
The announcement came on the heels of their first joint appearance Wednesday at a high school gymnasium in Wilmington, Delaware.
“It’s really palpable, the excitement,” Biden said Wednesday.
The boost provided by Harris, the first Black woman on a major party’s presidential ticket, could help Biden in his quest to at least match the $300 million stockpile President Donald Trump and the GOP reported having on hand in July.
Large campaign appearances aren’t happening and so the campaign has lined up a series of virtual fundraisers to be hosted by Harris.
Lisa Hernandez Gioia, who was a deputy finance director for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign, called Harris a “fundraiser’s dream.”
“Donors already have an eagerness,” she said. “She adds the star power that will be like an afternoon shot of espresso to the campaign’s fundraising.”
Harris dropped out of the Democratic primary last year but enjoyed early fundraising success. She launched her presidential bid in early 2019 and raised $15.5. million by mid-March. Her campaign started losing money from there, however.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.