Kamala Harris reports raising $12M in 2nd quarter

Kamala Harris

BALTIMORE (AP) — Kamala Harris raised roughly $12 million in the past three months, her presidential campaign said Friday, nearly a quarter of which she took in after confronting former Vice President Joe Biden during the first Democratic debate.

Harris’ latest total is about equal to what she brought in during the first fundraising quarter, but noticeably less than some other first-tier 2020 White House hopefuls, who have already released details of their fundraising ahead of the July 15 deadline to report to the Federal Election Commission. South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg reported raking in $24.8 million , Biden raised $21.5 million and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont collected $18 million.

Since Harris confronted Biden over his comments about his decades-old relationship with segregationist senators and his record on past public school busing, her campaign has sought to capitalize on the moment.

Harris’s campaign said that in the first 24 hours following the first Democratic presidential debate, she raised more than $2 million online, and an additional $1.2 million online last weekend. All told, Harris raised roughly $3.2 million in the aftermath of the debate.

The Harris campaign added Friday that, of the money she raised this quarter, half a million dollars came from her online store.

The campaign is pointing to sales of a shirt that fundraises on the moment from her exchange with Biden. The shirts include a childhood photo of Harris, who at the debate discussed her childhood experience with the busing integration of elementary schools in Berkeley, California, in 1968.

Also Friday, Steve Bullock reported $2-plus million in contributions during the second quarter. The Montana governor entered the 2020 primary race in mid-May, halfway through quarter.

Bullock’s campaign said he racked up that fundraising haul without any transfers of money from other accounts. He missed the polling qualification cutoff for the first Democratic presidential debates in Miami, but has a strong prospect of making the stage for this month’s second set of debates in Detroit.