Washington: US Presidential candidate Kamala Harris, the first Indian-origin US Senator, has raised a solid USD 12 million over the first quarter of her presidential campaign, setting an early high bar for the Democratic field challenging President Trump in 2020. Harris, 54, officially launched her campaign in January for the US presidential election next year.
Half of the total haul for Harris, a California senator, was raised online, including more than USD 1.1 million in the final week of March, when she spent heavily to attract more donors ahead of the financial deadline, CNN reported. Harris, who is of Indian and Jamaican descent, became second major candidate to announce her first-quarter fundraising total after South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg said he raised over $7 million in the first quarter, the report said.
Harris said she received 218,000 individual contributions during the first quarter and 98 per cent of those contributions came in amounts smaller than $100. “A nationwide network of hundreds of thousands of grassroots supporters has stepped up to lay the foundation for a winning campaign,” Harris’ campaign manager Juan Rodriguez was quoted as saying by the Hill magazine. “This is a campaign powered by the people, focused on making healthcare a right, putting $500 a month in the pockets of working Americans, and giving every public school teacher in America a raise. We’re excited by the support we’re already seeing.”
