/ CBS News
Washington — Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential campaign said it brought in $540 million since Harris entered the race last month, touting a surge in donations during the Democratic National Convention as the party rallied around its new ticket.
The campaign said it brought in $82 million during the week, characterized the convention contribution as "unprecedented grassroots donations." And the best hour of fundraising since the launch came after Harris delivered her highly anticipated speech on Thursday to accept the presidential nomination, the campaign said.
"The Convention was a galvanizing moment for the Harris-Walz coalition throughout the country, energizing and mobilizing volunteer and grassroots donors alike," campaign chair Jen O'Malley Dillon wrote in a memo, noting that the campaign is using the resources to build on momentum heading into Labor Day — with November's election on the horizon.
The campaign, which announced the totals on Sunday, noted that a third of the contributions received during the DNC were from first-time contributors, with two-thirds of those contributors being women. And it touted volunteer engagement, with nearly 200,000 new volunteer shifts since the convention began.
The four-day convention came just a month after President Biden left the race on July 21. The party quickly coalesced around Harris, with $200 million of the month's total fundraising coming in during the first week.
At the convention, delegates heard from prominent Democrats like former first lady Michelle Obama and former President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former President Bill Clinton, who enthusastically encouraged Democrats to vote for Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Mr. Biden himself spoke on the first night of the convention, passing the torch to his vice president as the party's new standard bearer.
Kaia Hubbard is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital, based in Washington, D.C.