Eleanor Finch
The Harris Victory Fund is a legitimate joint fundraising committee that raises money for US Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign and affiliated Democratic groups. The fund is authorised by Harris for President, the Democratic National Committee, and State Democratic Parties in all 50 states. The Harris Victory Fund has been a significant success, raising over $1 billion during the quarter between July and October, which is the most profitable fundraising quarter on record.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Fundraising committee | Harris Victory Fund |
| Fundraising for | Harris' campaign and Democratic groups |
| Raised | $1.2 billion |
| Raised by | 76 wealthy benefactors, including Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings, former Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg, philanthropist Melinda French Gates, and more than 100 venture capitalists |
| Donate | Via personal credit card |
| Allocation | First $41,300/$15,000 from a person/multicandidate committee (“PAC”) will be allocated to the DNC |
| The next $510,000/$255,000 from a person/PAC will be split equally among the Democratic state parties | |
| Any additional funds will be allocated to the DNC, subject to applicable contribution limits |
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What You'll Learn
Donors and donations
The Harris Victory Fund is a joint fundraising committee authorised by Harris for President, the Democratic National Committee, and the State Democratic Parties. The fund accepts contributions of up to $926,300 from individuals and $410,000 from multi-candidate committees (PACs). The first $3,300/$5,000 from an individual/PAC is allocated to Harris for President for the general election. The next $41,300/$15,000 from an individual/PAC goes to the DNC. The subsequent $510,000/$255,000 is split equally among the Democratic state parties from 39 states, including AK, AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, and so on.
Donors must be at least 18 years old and cannot be federal contractors. Contributions are made from the donor's own funds and not from corporate or business credit cards. They are also not tax-deductible. Donors can designate their contribution for a particular participant by contacting info@kamalaharris.com. However, the allocation formula may change to avoid excessive contribution.
By providing their phone number, donors consent to receive recurring and/or automated text messages and calls from Harris for President and the DNC. The Harris Victory Fund does not accept contributions from corporations or their PACs, unions, federal contractors, national banks, those registered as federal lobbyists or under FARA, SEC-named executives of fossil fuel companies, or foreign nationals.
The Harris Victory Fund is also associated with OpenSecrets, an organisation that tracks the flow of money in American politics and provides data and analysis on money's influence on elections and public policy. Through OpenSecrets, individuals can explore campaign expenditures, follow the money behind political ads, and trace donations to politicians and committees at the federal and state levels.
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Fundraising
The Harris Victory Fund is a legitimate fundraising committee that raises money for Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign and other Democratic groups. The fund is authorised by Harris for President, the Democratic National Committee (DNC), and various State Democratic Parties.
Donations to the Harris Victory Fund are not tax-deductible and must be made from the donor's own funds. The fund does not accept contributions from federal contractors or corporate, business, or other people's credit cards.
The Harris Victory Fund has been highly successful in fundraising, raising $1.2 billion in the 2024 election cycle, according to an FEC filing from October 2024. This is significantly more than Trump's National Committee JFC, which raised $375.3 million in the same period. Harris' campaign committee also ended up with more cash on hand than Trump's, with $118 million compared to $36.2 million, as of October 16, 2024.
Harris has attracted support from numerous wealthy benefactors, including Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings, former Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg, and philanthropist Melinda French Gates. More than 100 venture capitalists have also pledged their support for Harris' candidacy. The large influx of donations to the Harris Victory Fund has likely contributed to the Democrats' substantive fundraising lead in the 2024 election cycle.
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Lobbying government officials
The Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995, amended by the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007, sets out the requirements for lobbying firms and individuals. This includes mandatory electronic filing of quarterly activity reports, which disclose income, expenses, and contributions related to lobbying activities. The reports are filed with the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Secretary of the U.S. Senate.
The definition of lobbying activities is broad and includes any expenses reasonably allocable to lobbying contacts, such as travel costs and salaries. Even employees who do not meet the statutory definition of a "lobbyist" may have their time spent on lobbying activities included in the organization's lobbying expenses. Lobbying firms must file a separate registration for each client, unless the income from that client for lobbying activities is below $3,000 in a quarterly period.
OpenSecrets is a research group that tracks money in U.S. politics and its influence on elections and policy. Their website provides information on who is lobbying government officials, allowing users to search by client, firm, industry, or issue. This can help shed light on the connections between industries, organizations, and elected representatives, as well as the flow of money in politics.
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Money in politics
According to Forbes, the Harris Victory Fund raised $1.2 billion in the 2024 election cycle, as per an FEC filing from October 24. This amount surpasses the funds raised by Trump's committees, including the Trump National Committee JFC and the former president's Trump 47 Committee, a different joint fundraising committee targeting larger donors. The Biden-Harris campaign committee raised a total of $997.2 million between January 2023 and October 16, 2024, with Harris attracting numerous large donations, including from prominent billionaires and venture capitalists.
The Harris Victory Fund's website outlines the allocation of donations. Initially, the first $41,300/$15,000 from an individual or multicandidate committee will go to the DNC. Subsequently, the next $510,000/$255,000 will be split equally among the Democratic state parties, with any additional funds allocated to the DNC, adhering to contribution limits.
The influence of money in politics is a concern for many, and organizations like OpenSecrets aim to address this issue. OpenSecrets is a research group that tracks money in US politics and its impact on elections and public policy. They provide data and analysis to promote transparency and strengthen democracy. Their website offers various tools to investigate money's role in politics, including exploring donor information, campaign expenditures, and lobbying activities.
While the Harris Victory Fund is legitimate, the substantial sums of money involved in political campaigns can influence policy-making and shape elections. The large donations received by Harris and the success of her fundraising efforts highlight the importance of financial backing in political races.
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Federal Election Commission
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is an American government body that collects and discloses campaign finance information. It was established in 1975 as an independent regulatory agency and is made up of six commissioners appointed by the US President and confirmed by the Senate.
The FEC is responsible for administering and enforcing the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) and promulgating rules concerning the use of money in federal campaigns and political activities. The FEC also audits a percentage of campaigns and committees to ensure compliance with the law.
The FEC website provides a range of information, including committee profiles, financial summaries, and data on campaign contributions and expenditures. For example, the FEC website includes a profile of the Kamala Harris Victory Fund, a joint fundraising committee registered in 2015. The FEC data shows that the committee raised $55.40 in total receipts from January 1, 2017, to January 31, 2017.
The FEC also provides data to organisations such as OpenSecrets, which is a research group that tracks money in US politics and its effect on elections and public policy. OpenSecrets allows users to see which industries and organisations are supporting elected representatives and investigate the flow of money from donors to politicians and political committees.
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Frequently asked questions
The Harris Victory Fund is a joint fundraising committee authorised by Harris for President, the Democratic National Committee and the State Democratic Parties.
Yes, the Harris Victory Fund is legitimate. It is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License by OpenSecrets.org.
Individuals can donate to the Harris Victory Fund, but corporations or their PACs, unions, federal contractors, national banks, those registered as federal lobbyists or under FARA, SEC-named executives of fossil fuel companies, or foreign nationals cannot.
The first $41,300/$15,000 from a person/multicandidate committee (“PAC”) will be allocated to the DNC. The next $510,000/$255,000 from a person/PAC will be split equally among the Democratic state parties. Any additional funds will be allocated to the DNC, subject to applicable contribution limits.
Yes, contributors may designate their contribution for a particular participant by contacting info@kamalaharris.com or contact@kamalaharris.com.
