Kamala Harris surges ahead in presidential race with record crowds, fundraising

Washington: Indian American Kamala Harris, the US Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee, is making massive strides in her campaign. At 59, Harris has been busy raising funds and drawing large crowds at her rallies.

During a recent fundraiser in San Francisco, Harris collected $12 million from about 700 donors, including many Indian Americans. “We will win this election,” she said. With President Joe Biden stepping back from the race, Harris has quickly closed the gap with Republican candidate Donald Trump.

Current polls from Real Clear Politics show Harris leading Trump by 0.5 percentage points nationwide. Harris has also gained ground in crucial states like Wisconsin and Michigan, where Biden had previously been behind. The New York Times reports that Harris is now ahead in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan by four percentage points.

Harris emphasised her determination to win, stating that she is leaving nothing to chance. Speaking to the enthusiasm behind her campaign, Harris said she's “never been one to really believe in the polls, whether they're up or their down.” Still, “what we know is the stakes are so high. And we can take nothing for granted at this moment,” she said.

“It's really been a good couple weeks, but we have a lot of work to do,” Harris said to laughs from the crowd. “The people are ready to use their power,” she said. The energy around the country is “undeniable,” she added, arguing, “The press and our opponents like to focus on our crowd size, and yes the crowds are large.” But even better is the fact that attendees are signing up for volunteer shifts in the thousands, she noted.

The day before, she and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, addressed over 12,000 people in Nevada, marking one of the largest political rallies in the state’s history. This rally was the final event of a week-long tour through key battleground states. “Thousands of people showed up here to Thomas and Mack—and Harris explained to them why she should be the next president of the United States. A rock star's welcome as Kamala Harris walked out to the podium,” local KVVU-LV said.

“At one of the largest political rallies in modern Nevada political history, Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz continued their barnstorming tour as the new Democratic presidential ticket on Saturday — one of the clearest signs yet of Democrats' renewed hopes in the swing state,” the local Nevada Independent reported.

During the tour, Harris and Walz attracted enthusiastic crowds, including more than 14,000 in Philadelphia, over 12,000 in Eau Claire, and over 15,000 in Detroit and Arizona.

Agencies