Harris hauls in $12M, but still has long haul
Despite big quarter, senator trails Biden, Sanders, Buttigieg
WASHINGTON — Sen. Kamala Harris of California said Friday that she raised nearly $12 million for her presidential bid over the past three months, a substantial take but one that lags some of the other top-tier Democratic White House hopefuls.
The haul by Harris, who has risen in several polls since her aggressive performance in last week’s debate, compares to the $21.5 million that former Vice President Joe Biden announced he raised during the second quarter and the $18 million Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said he took in during the period.
Biden, Sanders, Harris and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., have finished in the top four in recent national polling among the crowded Democratic field. Warren has yet to announce a fundraising total for the second quarter.
South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who has lagged behind the top four in polling, has announced the largest haul of the quarter so far of the Democrats: $24.8 million.
Candidates have until July 15 to file fundraising reports with the Federal Election Commission, but those with impressive numbers typically share their totals soon after a quarter ends. Sunday was the final day of the second quarter.
Harris’ second-quarter fundraising figure roughly matches what she reported raising during the first quarter of the year. However, she did not become a candidate until three weeks into that quarter.
Harris’ campaign said it raised $7 million of its nearly $12 million from its digital program. It said it raised nearly $500,000 from its online store, which features “That Little Girl Was Me” T-shirts.
The shirt references a line from the Democratic presidential debate in which Harris said that she was bused to school as a girl as she attacked Biden for his opposition to federally mandated busing in the 1970s. Harris’ campaign said the T-shirt began selling on June 28.
Harris aides emphasized that she is not accepting money from corporate political action committees and federal lobbyists.
Montana Gov. Steve Bullock said Friday that he had raised more than $2 million for his Democratic presidential bid since mid-May. Bullock’s campaign said he had received support from all 50 states and that his total did not include transfers from other campaign funds.
Warren, meanwhile, said that if elected president she would sign executive orders aimed at addressing the wage and employment leadership gap for women of color, punishing companies and contractors with historically poor records on diversity and equality by denying them federal government contracts.
The Massachusetts senator detailed her latest plan in a post on Medium on Friday, positioning her ideas as moral and economic imperatives.
“Our economy should be working just as hard for women of color as women of color work for our economy and their families,” Warren wrote. “For decades, the government has helped perpetuate the systemic discrimination that has denied women of color equal opportunities. It’s time for the government to try to right those wrongs and boost our economy in the process.”
Warren’s plan comes on the eve of her appearance at Essence Fest, an annual music and cultural conference that is the largest gathering of black women in the country, with an expected 500,000 attendees. Also expected to speak this weekend at the conference in New Orleans are Harris and Buttigieg and other 2020 contenders Cory Booker and Beto O’Rourke.
To address the underrepresentation of women of color in leadership in the federal workforce, Warren said she would issue an order to recruit from historically black colleges and other minority-serving institutions; establish paid fellowships for federal jobs for minority and low-income applicants, including formerly incarcerated people; and require federal agencies to incorporate diversity into their strategic plans and mentorship efforts.
Associated Press contributed.