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Over: Donald Trump’s Lead and His Cash Advantage
Kamala Harris Campaign Outraises Donald Trump Twofold
In the second quarter of 2024, between April and June, Donald Trump outraised President Biden, with $331 million to Biden’s $264 million. Total cash on hand at that point was $284 million for Trump, while President Biden had $240 million.
That was bad news, if there ever was any. As an incumbent president with the potential to offer continuity of governance, you are expected to stay a mile or two ahead of your opponent in fundraising. However, it was Donald Trump who was leading the cash race at the end of June by $44 million.
Extra cash in your opponent’s hands is bad news. More money means more ground staff, more ads, and higher odds for better polling numbers. My biggest concern after President Biden passed the nomination torch to Vice President Kamala Harris was money.
During the 2020 cycle, President Biden’s campaign raised and spent slightly more than a billion dollars.
That number still remains my baseline requirement for the Harris campaign’s fundraising goal for 2024. At the end of June, Donald Trump’s campaign had nearly $300 million on hand, giving them enough cushion to keep pushing for more money in the last three months of the race.
Now, we have a new entrant to the race who is starting with nothing and has only three months to get everything done. If she lags behind in campaign cash, she will continue to be at a disadvantage against the Trump troops boosted by right-wing billionaires.
Take, for example, the case of Florida. If Kamala Harris is short on cash compared to Donald Trump, will she risk investing in Florida where Trump is still leading by 6 to 7 points? Will she think, “Oh, well, he is not far from the polling margin of error. What if we invest $100 million in the state and see if we can move the needle?”
If she is severely cramped on cash, will she see the 1-point lead Donald Trump’s campaign has in North Carolina as an opportunity, or will she see it as a risk? The campaign will be…
