No, the newly-minted Harris campaign isn’t worried about locking down Massachusetts’ 11 reliably-Democratic electoral votes. They are, however, interested in raising lots of cash.
The flurry of events show how Massachusetts has flexed its muscle as a fund-raising powerhouse since the vice president began her presidential run just eight days ago. As Democratic fund-raisers in the state reported fresh enthusiasm among donors big and small, the Harris campaign has moved to take advantage of the energy. Emhoff replaced Jill Biden on a New England fund-raising swing planned before Biden left the race, during which he will visit Nantucket on Tuesday and later travel to New Hampshire and Maine.
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The Pittsfield event, which Harris planned to attend prior to Biden’s exit, raised over $1.4 million, according to the campaign, more than tripling the fund-raiser’s original goal. Emhoff’s visit to the Vineyard, meanwhile, sold out well before Monday and surpassed its original goal of $250,000. All this on top of the $2 million amassed in Provincetown last week.
Sean Curran, who raises money for Democrats in New England, said before Biden dropped out, “there were trepidations about asking people for money — they were not as enthusiastic because the candidacy seemed pretty stalled.” But since Harris entered, he’s fielded an “unusual” number of requests from potential donors asking how they can help.
“The Democratic Party needs to be inspired by the candidate at the top of the ticket, and when they are inspired, you see activity, you see action — you see everything we’re seeing right now for her,” he said.
The large sums rolling in from Massachusetts won’t stop anytime soon.
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The Harris Victory Fund, the campaign’s chief finance vehicle, will hold another event headlined by Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia and Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware on Aug. 13 in Edgartown, per an invitation obtained by the Globe. Other Democrats nationwide are expected to visit the Vineyard in coming weeks to raise money, taking advantage of the area’s status as a center of Black political power.
Robin Leeds, a member of the campaign’s national finance committee who leads the consulting firm Winning Strategies, said that organizers had to “retool” and “transition very quickly to accommodate all of the new participation” in the Harris campaign.
“The people are clamoring — they want to be in,” said Leeds, who regularly hosts Democratic fund-raisers on the Vineyard. “Whether it’s a $25 contribution, or people who are maxing out, they see it as a way to have a seat at the table, to influence the outcome and to be part of making history … Our grassroots fund-raising has been off the charts in a way that I’ve not seen before.”
Steve Grossman, the former Democratic National Committee chair and a Massachusetts superdelegate, added that aside from raising money, the “engagement of experienced activists is at least as important a reason why they’re spending the time that they are here.”
Since replacing Biden atop the ticket, Harris has consolidated party backing, drawing endorsem*nts from top leaders. Her campaign reported raising over $200 million and signing up more than 170,000 new volunteers as of Sunday. And the gap between her and former president Donald Trump narrowed in key battleground states, several polls showed.
Harris’s support in Massachusetts goes beyond money, as Democrats in the state rallied behind her. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey both spoke at the event in Pittsfield on Saturday, which was co-hosted by former governor Deval Patrick.
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Patrick, who previously called for a “short, competitive process” to determine the nominee, said it was “impressive how quickly and enthusiastically” Democrats coalesced around Harris. Rather than simply attacking Trump, he urged Democrats to “offer a competing vision for tomorrow,” which he said he was encouraged to see from Harris on Saturday.
“Converting that energy to organization is the perennial challenge — that’s a big lift — but it’s also a very big opportunity, and I think we’re gonna get it done,” he said.
Another Massachusetts Democrat backing Harris, Governor Maura Healey,has reiterated her support for the vice president while repeatedly criticizing Trump for not committing to debate her in September.
“Kamala Harris is a person of strength, of grace, of empathy, of compassion, and yes, she is tough — which is probably why Donald Trump backed out of a debate tonight,” Healey said on an “Out for Kamala Harris” Zoom call on Thursday.
Democrats nationwide put together several such calls organizing coalitions to fund-raise, from “Win With Black Women” to “White Dudes for Harris.” Inspired by those efforts, Leslie Templeton, a Somerville resident who chairs the national Young Democrats Disability Issues Caucus, helped organize a “Disabled Voters for Kamala Harris” call.
“The goal is to engage disabled voters and the disability community to get them invigorated about the campaign, to show them that there is hope and that they can make a difference,” said Templeton, who met Harris before the Pittsfield fund-raiser.
While Massachusetts will almost certainly vote in Harris’s favor this fall, Steve Kerrigan, the state party chair, said the party plans to mobilize in other ways, including sending volunteers to more competitive states such as New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina. It has seen a 300 percent increase in donations since Harris’s entrance, he said, with 71 percent of that total coming from new donors.
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With fewer than 100 days until the election, hurdles remain as Harris seeks to introduce herself to the public. Among the crowd that gathered to see Harris on Saturday were Trump supporters donning signature red “MAGA” hats and protesters against the war in Gaza. Grossman, the former party chair, said he expected Harris will also navigate thorny issues for the Democrats, such as the economy and immigration.
Harris acknowledged that reality on Saturday, telling 800 donors that “we’re the underdogs in this race.” “But,” she added, “this is a people-powered campaign, and we have momentum.”
She took shots at her likely opponent, saying that Trump had been “resorting to some wild lies about my record” and said that “some of what he and his running mate are saying, it’s just plain weird,” a recent favorite line of attack. The audience at several points throughout her speech jumped to their feet to cheer, clap, and shout a Harris refrain that has gained traction: “We are not going back.”
Shirley Edgerton, the founder of Rites of Passage and Empowerment, a mentoring program for young girls of color, praised Harris for meeting some of her program’s participants upon arriving in Massachusetts.
“To have some of our girls at the airport this morning to greet the vice president who looks like them, who’s a woman, who’s of color, who’s bringing hope and inspiration to our country? I mean, it gets no better,” said Edgerton, who wore beaded “Kamala” bracelets. “Some of us have been crying all day.”
Anjali Huynh can be reached at anjali.huynh@globe.com. Brooke Hauser can be reached at brooke.hauser@globe.com. Follow her @brookehauser.
