Candidate Kamala sets the ball rolling, raises $1.5mn in a day
California senator matches first-day fundraising of Sanders
WASHINGTON: Presidential hopeful Kamala Harris has raised $1.5 million within 24 hours of announcing her 2020 White House run in a sign of a strong campaign kick-off that pits her against an expanding field of Democratic candidates who hope to take on Donald Trump.
The list of Democrats vying for the party nomination has grown by one since Kamala’s announcement. Pete Buttigieg, the 37-yearold Democratic mayor of South Bend, Indiana, launched a longshot bid on Wednesday, becoming the first openly gay candidate for the White House race. He joins eight already in the fray, including Senators Kamala, Elizabeth Warren and Kirsten Gillibrand, and House Representatives Tulsi Gabbard and Joaquin Castro.
Jacob Wohl, a Trump supporter, sought to start a “birther” controversy about Kamala, questioning her eligibility to run for the White House, citing her immigrant parents. But Kamala stayed focused. “In the first 24 hours of announcing our campaign, I am so proud to tell you that we have raised a million dollars with an average contribution of less than $40 and we have received support from all 50 states,” said the first Indian-American woman to run for the White House in a video message on Tuesday, adding in a Twitter post “we surpassed $1.5 million”.
That matches the previous 24-hour high posted by Bernie Sanders in 2015. Barack Obama had raised $26 million in his first quarter in 2007. Hillary Clinton had raised more - $36 million during the same period.