WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s a massive to-do list. Vice President Kamala Harris suddenly has to launch a up-to-date presidential campaign almost from scratch.
That process typically takes months, even years. Harris has only about two months before early voting begins. And of course, nothing is guaranteed, although she did receive the backing of President Joe Biden __ and significant parts of his campaign team __ after he dropped out of the race on Sunday.
That means she has to quickly raise money, develop a strategy, hire staff, recruit delegates, set up a website, run ads, plan a convention, and so on. The checklist is long, but as of Monday morning, she at least has a campaign logo.
And Harris has a substantial advantage: she is already on the Democratic ballot as a vice presidential candidate and had already run for president in 2020. With Biden’s support, she is gaining delegates at a rapid pace.
“With Harris, who has already performed at the national level, it is less difficult,” says Democratic pollster Cornell Belcher.
She has to bring in cash.
Even though the campaign is still in its infancy, Harris has an advantage. That’s because of the existing infrastructure of Biden’s campaign, which she will inherit. There are already campaign offices in Wilmington, Delaware, and the official campaign committee has been renamed after her, according to Federal Election Commission documents. She can keep much of Biden’s campaign staff and bring in her own people.
“Campaigns are basically start-ups with hundreds, millions of dollars and hundreds of employees all trying to get a lot of things done in a very short period of time,” says Joe Caiazzo, who served as New Hampshire state director for Bernie Sanders’ presidential bid in 2020. “And there’s a whole Democratic class standing by and waiting.”
But the most crucial thing may be the money: As of early July, the campaign committee already had nearly $96 million in cash on hand, allowing her to hit the ground running without having to wait for checks to arrive. And her rise has sparked up-to-date enthusiasm after Biden’s June 27 debate debacle shook the confidence of Democratic supporters and voters. Within 15 hours of receiving Biden’s endorsement, Harris had raised $49.6 million, according to campaign data.
There are also independent committees that support each campaign and add to the overall spending. But Harris enters the race as Republican Donald Trump is on the rise financially. His campaign reports $128.1 million in cash.
She must secure the support of Biden’s delegates.
To win the Democratic nomination, 1,976 delegates are needed. So far, Harris has more than 700. Biden’s quick exit allows the delegates he won in the primary process to support whoever they want. This is where the support of representatives and key Democratic allies is crucial.
Harris has already secured the endorsement of the American Federation of Teachers, a leading union. The AFL-CIO will convene a meeting to decide the next steps regarding its endorsement, after previously backing Biden and Harris as a joint campaign bid.
Several leading Democrats who were themselves considered presidential candidates have come out in favor of Harris, a likely sign that their states’ delegates will follow suit, if they have not already done so.
Harris has already received endorsements from Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, California Governor Gavin Newsom, Maryland Governor Wes Moore, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear. She also has the support of Arizona Senator Mark Kelly and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
That support is also critical as Harris seeks a vice presidential candidate to take on Trump’s Republican vice presidential nominee, Ohio Senator JD Vance.
A running mate must be selected.
In 2020, Biden announced Harris as his running mate on August 11. To meet that deadline, Harris would theoretically have less than three weeks to make her own choice. She had previously agreed to debate Vance on August 13, though the two candidates were never able to agree on terms. But Harris could also extend her vice presidential pick to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, which begins on August 19.
Unlike in 2020, Harris will not be able to engage in the same extensive vetting process as Biden’s team, with its interviews and research. It’s unclear where Harris is in that process, but vice presidential candidates are usually there to lend a hand balance the top spots and mobilize enormous blocs of voters.
She will advertise and hold rallies.
The Biden campaign had produced ads all geared toward portraying the president as Trump’s best opponent. The ads addressed abortion access, Trump’s policies and Trump’s conviction in New York. Now that Biden is out of the race, Harris must develop her own identity even as she defends the president’s record in office.
Likewise, Harris will have to campaign much more aggressively as the front-runner. Biden has traveled to Pennsylvania nine times so far this year, Wisconsin five times, Michigan four times, North Carolina four times and Georgia three times. These are all states that the campaign viewed as a path to Biden’s re-election before the June 27 debate, a task that now falls to Harris.
She needs to build an online presence.
According to FEC filings, her official campaign website is kamalaharris.com.
It’s not the first link that pops up when someone googles her name. But the address can be found in the profile of her personal account on X, formerly Twitter. That’s also where users are directed when they try to access Biden’s former campaign page.
For now, Harris’ website is a placeholder, with a picture of her smiling in profile, the text of Biden’s statement of support and a form to donate money to her campaign.
She needs to come up with something bigger. Trump’s campaign website includes his policy platform, videos, news updates, a list of events, ways to get involved, and lots of merchandise. This kind of setup is necessary, among other things, to allow Harris supporters across the country to organize and connect.
Harris also needs to tailor social media platforms to her needs to allow her to easily attract an audience for her campaign events.
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AP writers Chris Megerian and Will Weissert contributed to this report.
