President Biden’s campaign said it raised $127 million in June, calling it the top fundraising month of his re-election campaign. The campaign also said it entered July with $240 million in commissions, up from the previous month, despite expanding its campaign footprint and a $50 million ad buy in June.
The money is a welcome sign for the campaign, which is still in progress political consequences of his party after a disastrous, erratic performance by Mr Biden during last week’s debate. CBS News Poll from Sunday showed that voters also have less and less confidence in the mental and cognitive health of the 81-year-old president.
According to Biden’s campaign, 95% of contributions for the second quarter (April through June) were less than $200, and 864,000 donors are making their first donation this election cycle.
From April through June, the Biden-Harris campaign raised a total of $264 million. It was surpassed in April and May by the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee, as they saw a boost in support following Trump’s conviction in the New York City ‘hush money’ payment trialThe Trump campaign has not yet released its June numbers.
But Biden’s campaign also benefited from two big catches in June: a star studded fundraising in Los Angeles that raised $30 million, and $38 million raised on debate day through the weekend. The campaign says the hour after the debate set a record for grassroots funding, and that debate day itself was the single largest day for small donations.
“These elections will be exciting and the stakes could not be higher – that’s why [June’s] “The fundraising is so important. It will ensure that we reach and mobilize the voters who will decide this election every day,” Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said.
The exact amounts Biden and Trump raised in June won’t be known until later this month, when both campaigns officially file their reports.
Biden’s performance during the debate reinforced existing concerns about his age and mental fitness. CBS News poll showed that just 27% of registered voters believe Mr. Biden has the mental and cognitive health to serve as president, down from 35% in early June. By comparison, 50% said they believe Mr. Trump has the cognitive health to serve.
The sitting president and his campaign have moved forward, airing an ad on Monday featuring clips of a much more energetic and focused Mr. Biden at a rally in North Carolina the day after the debate (where he had a teleprompter and was surrounded by supporters).
“Folks, I know I’m not a young man anymore. But I know how to do this job. I know what’s right and wrong, I know how to tell the truth,” Biden said at the rally in Raleigh, N.C.
They’ve also held meetings to calm nervous donors, including a call moderated by campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon on Monday afternoon that drew more than 600 listeners, according to two of the call participants.
During that call, Dillon pointed to internal campaign polls after the debate, which showed the battle between him and Trump in the crucial states remained unchanged after the debate. Trump still holds a 1% lead in a head-to-head contest (46% to 45%) and a 2% lead when third-party candidates are included.
A memo from Hart Research’s internal polling shows that May polls showed similar differences between Biden and Trump.
“While some voters for President Biden in 2020 say they feel more negatively about him as a result of the debate, most of them are sticking with Biden: 64% support him in the multi-candidate trial and 77% support him in the head-to-head matchup with Trump,” pollster Geoff Garin wrote in a memo.
