Harris raises $27M in N.Y., promises economic speech
NEW YORK (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris raised $27 million at a packed New York City fundraiser on Sunday, her largest fundraising haul since she took over at the top of the ticket from President Joe Biden, according to a Harris campaign aide.
NEW YORK (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris raised $27 million at a packed New York City fundraiser on Sunday, her largest fundraising haul since she took over at the top of the ticket from President Joe Biden, according to a Harris campaign aide.
Though Harris has far more money than former President Donald Trump, the money will be needed to compete with pricey advertising by deep-pocketed outside groups that support Trump, said the aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private fundraising details.
The blockbuster fundraiser was held at Cipriani Wall Street in a massive Greek Revival ballroom with over a dozen columns. Much of the crowd stood shoulder to shoulder as Harris needled Trump for refusing to debate her again.
“My opponent seems to be looking for an excuse,” Harris told the crowd. “I feel very strongly that we owe it to the American people, to the voters, to meet once more before Election Day.”
She reiterated that later, telling reporters after landing outside Washington, “We have more to discuss.”
Trump has rejected more debates, saying Saturday that “it’s just too late.”
“Voting is already started,” he said at a rally in Wilmington, N.C.. Voters cast the first in-person ballots last week in Minnesota, South Dakota and Virginia, the states with the first early in-person voting opportunities. About a dozen more states will follow by mid-October.
Harris also said she would deliver a speech Wednesday outlining her economic vision, saying there is “more we can do to invest in the aspirations and ambitions of the American people while addressing the challenges they face.”
She cited the high cost of home ownership and stubbornly high grocery bills as examples.
“I grew up a middle-class kid and I will never forget where I came from,” she said.
By fleshing out her economic agenda in more detail, Harris can address an issue that’s front of mind for voters after prices soared during Biden’s presidency and distance herself from the president’s economic track record. Trump has criticized her for being slow to release detailed policy proposals of her own since she rose to the top of the ticket.
