REUTERS
Kamala Harris is taking center stage at a sold-out fundraiser this weekend as Joe Biden’s influence with donors grinds to a halt.
While Biden has struggled to raise financial support over the last few weeks as top democratic leaders like Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Nancy Pelosi urge for his ouster, the vice-president has managed to sell out a fundraiser Saturday in Provincetown, Mass., that has raised nearly $2 million from 800 attendees, The Post has learned.
As fundraising is said to be “on hold” for Biden, who is recovering from Covid in his Delaware home, buzz around Harris is increasing, and donors are looking to ingratiate themselves to the vice-president — who is expected to be placed at the top of the ticket if Biden bows out of the race.
“The money for Biden is drying up,” one deep-pocketed source told The Post. “He is a dead man walking.”
On Friday, Harris hosted a hastily organized call for donors — including LinkedIn co-founder and mega-donor Reid Hoffman and Biden campaign co-chair Jeffrey Katzenberg — to reiterate that she and Biden remain focused on beating Trump, The New York Times was first to report.
Despite Harris’ public calls to rally behind Biden, political fundraising organizations like Emily’s List, a PAC committed to electing Democratic woman, and Way to Win, a group that can move funds quickly to candidates, are beginning to speak with donors about the possibility of giving to Harris should she replace Biden, The Post has learned.
“She’s not going to have a problem raising money,” a longtime Democratic fundraiser said. “She boosts the ticket … she energizes people.”
In the event Biden steps down, Harris would get the money the campaign has raised.
While Biden has close to $200 million in his war chest, sources close to the campaign say the goal has been to raise more than double that amount. But since his disastrous June 27 debate, fundraising has taken a serious hit.
One source said that some donors are averse to replacing Biden because they could lose sway with the White House if the president and his advisers are replaced.
“The reason people are huge supporters is because they’re wired into the White House… most people with a lot of money are focused on that,” the source said.
The campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
On Thursday, political risk firm Signup Global told investors that the chance of Biden dropping out had increased to 65%, up from 40% the day prior. The firm noted the combination of pressure from members of Congress and dismal polling — which they believe will get worse — will force him out.
Meanwhile, a growing chorus of Democrats in the House and Senate continues calling for Biden to step down.