Kamala Harris’ record-breaking campaign haul overtakes Donald Trump in recent weeks

Vice President Kamala Harris has overtaken former President Donald Trump in fundraising after raising a record $1.6 billion from various campaign committees, compared to $700 million for Trump.

In total, Harris has raised $928 million for her official campaign, $364 million for the Democratic National Committee and another $307 million for a joint fundraising committee, after accounting for transfers to her official campaign and other party committees, according to FEC filings that run through September 30. That sum, which also includes money raised when President Joe Biden was the party’s nominee, is a record amount for a presidential candidate.

On the other hand, Trump raised $375 million for his campaign, $281 million for the Republican National Committee and $145 million for two joint fundraising committees, not counting transfers over the same period.

Harris outpaced Trump in fundraising for his official campaigns in September, taking in $222 million, compared to $63 million for Republicans. Those numbers are both lower than the same period in 2020, when Biden raised $281 million and Trump raised $81 million.

Trump’s fundraising is significantly lower than it was when he was re-elected in 2020. That’s largely because he’s collapsed on the small donors that once fueled his political operation. Instead, Trump has relied on major donors and outside groups funded by his fellow billionaires, including Elon Musk, the world’s richest man.

Harris’ record-breaking fundraising made it possible for her Destroy Trump in TV ads in September and at the same time financed an extensive election campaign. Accordingly, the Harris campaign also significantly outperformed Trump in digital advertising and dominated cable and radio advertising the Wesleyan Media Projectthat tracks campaign advertising spending.

The Harris camp’s spending spree in September left the two campaigns with about the same amount of money for the final five weeks of the race. Harris had $50 million more than Trump on his various committees as of October 1.

Trump has always lagged behind his Democratic opponent in his three presidential candidacies. In 2016, Hillary Clinton outperformed Trump by $200 million in their respective official campaign committees. Biden also outperformed Trump by $270 million. In both cases, the Democrats’ fundraising advantage mattered little, as Trump won an Electoral College victory in 2016 and nearly repeated that feat in 2020.