Vice President Kamala Harris entered September with a significant financial advantage over former President Donald Trump as the presidential campaign entered its final weeks. According to new federal filings, Harris had more campaign cash available after setting a grassroots fundraising record during her first full month as the Democratic presidential nominee.
Fundraising efforts by the national Democratic committees focused on the battle for Congress also saw a surge in donations. The Democratic party arm working to turn the US House blue raised more than double the amount collected by its Republican counterpart in August. The House GOP campaign arm did receive a six-figure donation from billionaire Elon Musk as the party aims to defend its slim majority in the chamber.
Democrats experienced a wave of donor enthusiasm, as reflected in the latest filings with the Federal Election Commission. Key outside groups increased their activity, while a prominent pro-Trump super PAC launched a significant wave of independent expenditures to support Republicans.
Harris managed to erase the financial edge that Trump briefly held over the summer. In August, Harris's campaign received nearly $190 million in direct contributions, surpassing the $44.5 million that flowed into the Trump campaign's principal account that month. Harris also outspent the Trump campaign by a large margin, with about $174 million spent in August, primarily on advertising to introduce the Democratic nominee to voters.
Trump's campaign, on the other hand, spent $61 million in August, with the majority allocated to media buys. Despite the substantial spending by both campaigns, Harris's main campaign account had $235 million in available cash at the start of September, significantly more than the $135 million remaining in Trump's coffers, as per the latest FEC records.
