President Biden’s campaign said on Tuesday that it had raised $127 million in June together with the Democratic Party, a sign of strength in a month that ended with a halting debate performance that has cast doubts on the president’s re-election effort.
The Biden campaign and affiliated groups said they had raised $38 million in the four days after Mr. Biden stumbled through a debate against former President Donald J. Trump, struggling for answers and at times appearing confused. Top campaign officials, in instances including a call with top donors on Monday evening, have pointed to the continued vigor of Mr. Biden’s fund-raising as a reason for Democrats not to panic.
Mr. Biden’s June fund-raising was also fueled by an event featuring Barack Obama, George Clooney and Julia Roberts that brought in roughly $28 million, a record for a single Democratic Party fund-raiser. That event took place two weeks before Thursday’s debate.
The Biden campaign decided to release its fund-raising figures early — federal filings are not due until July 20 — as part of an attempt to demonstrate strength during an extraordinarily difficult period for the campaign. The Trump campaign has not yet released its June fund-raising figures.
While Mr. Biden led Mr. Trump for months in the money race, the Republicans have lately pulled ahead, thanks in part to Mr. Trump’s fund-raising drawing on his criminal conviction in New York on May 30. Mr. Trump’s joint operation outraised Mr. Biden in both May and April, erasing the advantage that Mr. Biden had enjoyed for almost the entire campaign.
Mr. Biden’s sum last month was his largest monthly haul of the election cycle. His campaign four years earlier, though, did beat that total in June 2020, raising $141 million.
Faced with poor polling numbers this time around, the Biden campaign has invested heavily in advertising and opening campaign offices. But it is still building up its campaign war chest. Going into July, the Biden campaign reported having $240 million cash on hand, up from $212 million the previous month.
Democrats had some of their best fund-raising days after Mr. Biden’s struggles on the debate stage. The progressive fund-raising platform ActBlue reported $75 million raised on its platform on the final four days of the fund-raising quarter, according to its website.
Shane Goldmacher contributed reporting.
Source Agencies
