Sen. Kamala Harris’ formidable fundraising machine is stepping into high gear now that she’s on the ticket with Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
Since Biden named the U.S. senator in California as his running mate, her employees in the business world have received calls from new donors, according to people familiar with immediate knowledge of the matter. The Harris allies have also organized virtual fundraisers with the campaign, according to the people, who refused to be named because these efforts had not yet been made public.
“I’m fascinating,” one of Harris’ longtime fundraisers said Sunday. “I was not ready to be on calls and work 18 hours a day.” This person added that Harris on her own will be featured without Biden in various fundraisers.
During her political career, Harris has built strong relationships with business leaders from Wall Street to Hollywood, including when she ran against Biden and others in the Democratic presidential race. Harris managed to raise at least $ 40 million during her run for president, which ended late last year. Some of her fans in the business world were not so busy with Biden’s campaign before she went with the ticket.
The money laundering comes even as Biden seeks to raise taxes on corporations and the rich. Harris herself has a history of taking over large banks, especially when she was California’s attorney general.
Harris’ allies in real estate and on Wall Street, who hailed their selection as Biden’s running mate, are moving forward with events starting this week.
Alicia Goldstein, a senior executive director at real estate investment firm HFZ Capital Group, and Deborah Harmon, chief executive officer of Artemis Real Estate Partners, help organize a virtual event on Friday with Harris, the people said. Cards range from $ 1,000 to $ 200,000, with the virtual meeting expected to turn into millions, the people added. Six-figure checks go to Biden and its joint money-lending committees, which also raise money for the Democratic National Committee as state parties.
Harmon would not comment on the incident, but told CNBC that fundraising has come easily since Harris became vice president.
“I do not spend every day thinking about whether the business leaders I work with are Democrats or Republicans, but I do think about how we are expanding the circle of opportunities for those who are typically underrepresented in the real estate sector. , specifically women and men of color, “Harmon said in a statement on Sunday. “That it was encouraging that I kept hearing from people where I walked out for this event that they were inspired by Kamala Harris, and it was no surprise that money was raised for them as pressing against an open door.”
Mike Kempner, CEO of public relations giant MWWPR, and Jon Henes, a partner at corporate firm Kirkland & Ellis, who was Harris’ national finance president when they ran for president, are set to co-host an event that Harris will have, other people said. The date has not been set yet, but the fundraiser is expected to “bring in a lot of money”, the person added.
Brad Karp, chairman of law firm Paul, Weiss, is likely to host a few events over the course of the next month, another person said. Carp has represented Citigroup, JPMorgan, Bank of America, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and Wells Fargo, according to the firm’s website.
Karp and Kempner were also mentioned on Harris’ bond list when they ran for president.
Billionaire Marc Lasry, longtime CEO of investment firm Avenue Capital, was able to host a Biden-Harris event in October, another person said. The virtual event would come a month before Biden comes against Trump in the November general election. Lasry and colleague Wallir director Blair Effron worked to raise money for Harris when she ran for president and began helping Biden after Harris fell in December.
Goldstein, Kempner, Karp, Henes, Lasry and Biden campaign representatives did not return requests for comment.
The security and investment sector has given a big boost to Biden and the PACs who support him, as Wall Street executives spent $ 44 million in the 2020 election cycle with the support of the former vice president, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. Trump’s reelection effort, on the other hand, has seen only $ 8 million from people in the sector.
Harris’ Biden selection has already influenced fundraising up and down the mood. Over the past two days, the Democratic National Convention has raised at least $ 40 million for Democrats running for office, as CNBC first reported. Biden’s campaign later announced that it, along with its joint funding committees, had raised $ 70 million during Convention Week. That comes after raising $ 48 million right after Harris’ announcement.
On the West Coast, a virtual event is being watched for Harris, chairman of superstar TV producer and writer Ryan Murphy, along with his husband, David Miller, according to an invitation received by CNBC.
The high-wattage host list for the event includes film producer and director JJ Abrams, Disney Television Studios chairman Dana Walden, producer Jason Blum, Netflix executive Bela Bajaria, actor Don Cheadle, sitcom creator Chuck Lorre and Emmy-winning producer Michael Rotenberg.
Although no date has been set, the invitation says that tickets start at $ 10,000 and go up to $ 500,000.
Biden and Harris, along with their spouses, took part in a virtual Hollywood-led money-raising event last week that raised $ 7 million, according to a press release. The hosts included entertainment mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg, Oscar-winning actor George Clooney and cabaret artist Byron Allen.
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