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Vice President Kamala Harris will host a fundraiser in Massachusetts on Saturday as President Joe Biden faces continued pressure from fellow Democrats and big donors to wind down his troubled campaign.
Biden and top aides vowed Friday to keep the campaign going, even as major donors said they were reluctant to open their checkbooks unless the 81-year-old president steps down.
The crisis of confidence in Biden’s ability to win the Nov. 5 election has thrust Harris into the spotlight, with Harris widely seen as the most likely successor if he steps down.
Three Democratic fundraisers said her fundraisers, including one on Saturday in Provincetown, Massachusetts, have drawn more interest from donors who want to show they are willing to unite behind her possible White House bid.
The fundraiser, which is expected to raise $2 million, is being organized by celebrity wedding planner Bryan Rafanelli and is expected to draw about 800 people, according to people familiar with the matter.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is expected to speak at the event, and guests will include celebrities and singers such as Jennifer Couric, Billy Porter and Darren Criss, sources said.
Thirty-five Democratic members of Congress, representing more than 10% of the congressional party, are now publicly calling for the resignation of Biden, who is quarantining at his home in Delaware with Covid-19 after a disastrous debate last month with the Republican former president, who has questioned the incumbent’s ability to win the election or to perform his duties for the next four years.
Biden’s doctor said Saturday that the president still has mild Covid-19 symptoms, such as a cough and hoarseness, but his vital signs are normal and he will continue to carry out his duties.
Former Democratic President Bill Clinton and former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton privately support Biden’s decision to continue his candidacy and are actively encouraging donors to support him, NBC News reported on Saturday, citing two people familiar with the matter.
Separately, U.S. Rep. Mark Takano of California on Saturday became the latest Democratic congressman to call on Biden to resign as a presidential candidate.
More fundraising planned
The Biden campaign had hoped to raise about $50 million in donations for the Biden Victory Fund in July, but as of Friday it was expected to have raised less than half that amount, according to two sources familiar with fundraising.
The campaign said reports of a fundraising slump in July were overblown, noting that major donations were expected to slow due to the holiday season. It said it had 10 more fundraisers planned for this month.
Harris assured major Democratic donors on Friday that the party will win the presidential election as more lawmakers called on Biden to resign.
“We are going to win this election,” she said on a makeshift call aimed at reassuring donors, according to a person who participated in the call. “We know which candidate in this election puts the American people first: our President Joe Biden.”
Harris participated in the call “at the direct request of senior advisers to the president,” one of the people said, an account confirmed by another person familiar with the matter.
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