ActBlue said it had processed $46.7 million in donations so far, just two hours after it announced it had raised $27.5 million following President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race and his endorsement of Kamala Harris as his running mate.
“UPDATE: As of 9 p.m. ET, grassroots supporters have raised $46.7 million through ActBlue since Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign launched,” the small donor fundraising platform said in a statement. “This marks the largest fundraising day of the 2024 election cycle. Small donors are fired up and ready to take on this election.”
-Gabriella Abdulhakim for ABC News
Vice President Kamala Harris’ husband, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, made his first comments Sunday night since President Joe Biden announced his decision to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race.
“President Biden is a true patriot who will lead our country with honesty, decency and integrity,” Emhoff said in a post on X.
Emhoff praised Biden and Harris for their work, saying they have “worked tirelessly to serve families and communities, and to serve Americans across the country.”
“I am incredibly proud of their accomplishments and grateful for their leadership,” he added.
After President Joe Biden ended his reelection bid on Sunday, endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris, many are beginning to wonder how the rest of the 2024 campaign will play out, including the upcoming presidential debate hosted by ABC News in September.
Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley told ABC News’ David Muir that the former president said he was “open to debate anytime, anywhere.”
While Whatley said Trump would need to formally approve the debate, he added: “We have been very clear that we welcome the debate.”
“We want to discuss the differences between the Biden-Harris agenda and Donald Trump’s agenda to unite America and lead us to a bolder future,” Whatley said.
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie told ABC News’ David Muir on Sunday night that Kamala Harris’ entry into the presidential race would have a big impact.
“This absolutely changes the campaign, David, and I think anyone who says this doesn’t change the campaign doesn’t understand politics,” Christie said. “But here’s the big question: ‘How does it change the campaign?’ And nobody knows. [answer] Not yet. And the reason we don’t is because it depends almost entirely on the performance of these two candidates right now.”
Christie, who ran for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination but withdrew during the primary, said running for president is different from running for vice president.
“[S]”He’s going to be under a different level of scrutiny, a different level of pressure, a different level of expectations for her,” Christie said. “So how will she act, and how will Donald Trump change his approach? He’s not running against 81-year-old Joe Biden now. He’s running against a much younger woman. And that’s going to change things.”
Christie said Harris’s rise to the forefront would force Trump to change his tune.
“When I first ran for governor, David, I ran against a male incumbent Democrat. When I ran for reelection, I ran against a woman. And the pace of that campaign and the way I conducted myself as a male candidate was… [against] “Women candidates have to speak in a slightly different tone,” Christie said. “The question for me is, ‘Can Donald Trump adapt to that, and how will he respond to this new dynamic?’ It’s going to be very interesting to watch over the next few weeks.”
-Jolie Rush for ABC News
