Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign raised $1.5 million in its first 24 hours, her campaign aides told POLITICO, a massive haul for the first-term senator from California that tied Bernie Sanders’ one-day total from his 2016 presidential campaign.

Small-dollar donations are an early litmus test in what is anticipated to be a crowded Democratic field. Others who have opened exploratory committees, including fellow Sens. Elizabeth Warren, on New Year’s Eve, and Kirsten Gillibrand, last week, have yet to make public any of their campaign fundraising numbers.


Harris, who announced her candidacy on Monday, crossed the $1 million threshold before 7:30 p.m. and raised $1.5 million from 38,000 donors, her aides said. As a point of comparison, Sanders’ early 2015 cash haul came from about 35,000 donors who gave an average of $43.50, his campaign said at the time.

Harris’ 2020 average online contribution was $37.

Harris’ campaign in the first 12 hours made $110,000 in revenue from its online merchandise store that sells t-shirts, hats and tote bags — breaking the single-day, single-candidate record for sales by the vendor, Bumperactive. The company worked for the likes of Beto O’Rourke and Andrew Gillum in the 2018 midterms, according to published reports.

For Harris, the first numbers are a demonstration of early strength and serve as a way to measure initial excitement for her. They’ve also tried to cultivate organic appeals to supporters, including using behind-the-scenes announcement photographs shot by Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, which accompanied an email he co-authored to her list.


Harris grew the campaign’s email list by 20 percent on Monday. Her video announcement teasing a Sunday rally in Oakland was viewed 6 million times and her Instagram account gained more than 100,000 new followers, the campaign said. The campaign also said it ran 25,000 Facebook ad variations.

“These numbers reveal a campaign powered by the people — an energetic, nationwide movement eager to elect Senator Harris and support her vision of an America that actually works for the people,” Harris’ digital strategist Mike Nellis said in an emailed statement.

