NEW YORK (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris raised $27 million at a packed fundraising event in New York City on Sunday, her largest fundraising event since replacing President Joe Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee, according to a Harris campaign aide.
Although Harris has much more money than former President Donald Trump, funds will be necessary to compete with the expensive advertising of wealthy outside groups that support Trump, according to the aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the details of private fundraising.
The successful fundraising event took place at Cipriani Wall Street in a huge Greek-style ballroom with over a dozen columns. Much of the crowd stood shoulder to shoulder as Harris criticized Trump for refusing to debate with her again.
"My opponent seems to be looking for an excuse," Harris told the crowd. "I firmly believe that we owe it to the American people, to the voters, to come together once again before election day."
He reiterated that later, when he told journalists upon landing on the outskirts of Washington that "we have more things to discuss."
Trump rejected more debates and emphasized on Saturday that "it is simply too late."
"The voting has already started," he said at a rally in Wilmington, North Carolina. Voters cast the first ballots in person last week in Minnesota, South Dakota, and Virginia, the states with the first opportunities for early in-person voting. Around a dozen more states will follow suit in mid-October.
Harris also announced that she will deliver a speech on Wednesday outlining her economic vision and noted that “we can do more to invest in the aspirations and ambitions of the American people as we address the challenges we face.”