With just one month until voters cast their ballots in the 2024 presidential election, Republicans are increasingly concerned that Vice President Kamala Harris holds a decisive advantage over former President Donald Trump, particularly in terms of campaign infrastructure and fundraising. According to The Washington Post, members of Trump’s campaign and Republican National Committee (RNC) leadership are sounding alarms over Harris’ significant fundraising lead, which could prove critical in securing victory in key battleground states.
Fundraising plays a crucial role in reaching undecided voters, especially in swing states like Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Money helps fund campaign rallies, TV and digital advertising, voter outreach, and field operations—all essential for turning out voters. While Trump and Harris are nearly tied in “outside money” raised by super PACs supporting their campaigns, Harris has a commanding lead in direct campaign funds.
According to OpenSecrets data, Harris has raised $685.1 million compared to Trump’s $306.7 million, more than doubling his total. In the coming weeks, Harris is expected to use her financial advantage to flood swing states with lengthy infomercial-style campaign programming on broadcast networks.
Meanwhile, some in the Trump camp are growing anxious about the former president’s lack of spending on digital advertising, which includes critical social media and video streaming platform placements. According to the Post, RNC co-chair Lara Trump has privately expressed concerns that her father-in-law is not allocating enough resources to this vital component of the campaign.
“Sources close to Trump,” told PBS that they fear the Democrats’ fundraising advantage “could sway the outcome” of the election in battleground states. One factor contributing to their worry is Trump’s decision to focus much of his campaign’s resources not on voter turnout efforts, but on an “election integrity” program.
This initiative, aimed at post-election litigation, includes 175,000 volunteer poll watchers, but some Republicans worry it may not be enough to sway the crucial vote. “Across these seven states, the difference will be between 350,000 and 400,000 voters, or so,” said Kevin Madden, a senior advisor to Mitt Romney’s 2012 campaign. “I’d rather have more resources than less when I’m battling trench by trench.”
Trump’s campaign recently announced that it raised roughly $160 million in September, largely from small donors giving under $200. Harris, though yet to release her September totals, has outpaced Trump in fundraising every month since entering the race. In August, she raised $361 million, compared to Trump’s $130 million.
In addition to her record-breaking ad buys, Harris is investing heavily in field outreach. As of late September, she has 330 field offices nationwide with over 2,400 staff members. Her campaign has already contacted more than one million voters in just three days and recently held its 100,000th event. Harris is also increasing her visibility, with plans for a high-profile interview later in October.
A senior Harris strategist noted that robust campaign infrastructure is even more essential for candidates like Trump, whose success depends on high turnout from sporadic voters in key states. “Trump specifically has an electorate that requires a big campaign in some ways,” the strategist said.
“Part of that is because a lot of the people they need to get are sporadic voters. They are definitionally harder to reach.” As the final month of the campaign unfolds, Republicans worry that Harris’ financial edge, combined with her aggressive outreach, may tilt the race in her favor.
