Donations to the campaign of Kamala Harris, the likely Democratic candidate for President of the United States, reached an impressive US$310 million in July, more than double the amount raised by Donald Trump in the same period.
Political scientist and professor Leandro Consentino, in an interview with CNN Behind the Scenesexplained the importance of these donations and the challenges Harris’ campaign will face in keeping donors mobilized.
Consentino highlighted that in the United States, the weight of financial resources in electoral campaigns is significant.
“In the United States, every advertisement that is broadcast on television or radio needs to be paid for, so the importance of these resources is fundamental,” he explained.
Differences between the Brazilian and American electoral systems
The expert also pointed out a crucial difference between the Brazilian and American electoral systems.
In Brazil, access to free election hours on open TV is paid for by the taxpayer. In the USA, all costs of running electoral propaganda are the responsibility of the campaigns.
According to Consentino, the significant volume of donations received by Kamala Harris can be attributed to the candidate’s rise after Joe Biden’s resignation from his re-election bid.
However, the professor warns that maintaining this rate of fundraising will be a complex challenge for the Democratic campaign.
Strategies to maintain donor mobilization
“The challenge of maintaining this moment is quite complex, it is not easy, we will have to look for other strategies”, stated Consentino.
He highlighted that already having twice the resources of Trump, a veteran candidate and former president, is a notable achievement for Harris’ campaign.
The professor anticipated that the campaign’s upcoming events, such as debates and the party convention that will make Kamala Harris’ candidacy official, will be crucial to capitalizing on Democrats’ attention and potentially raising more resources.
“The Democrats’ big bet now will be the convention that will anoint Kamala Harris’ candidacy,” concluded Consentino.
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