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   Heidi Li Feldman (heidilifeldman@mastodon.social)'s status on Sunday, 22-Sep-2024 06:09:05 JST Heidi Li Feldman

   With ABC, https://abcnews.go.com/US/harris-trump-august-fundraising-fec-filings/story?id=113893128 , and the Washington Post, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/09/20/kamala-harris-fundraising-advantage-trump/, both reporting today on Harris and DNC fundraising, time for another thread on why we must keep raising money for Harris.

   The stories both lead with the fact that the Harris campaign raised 3 times what Trump did. This is obviously good, and a real achievement, but it does NOT mean Harris is now flush. 1/

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     Heidi Li Feldman (heidilifeldman@mastodon.social)'s status on Sunday, 22-Sep-2024 06:09:32 JST Heidi Li Feldman

     in reply to

     Harris and the DNC spent in August almost exactly the amount they raised (ABC). Bearing out what I have explained before, here, according to the Washington Post, is where the money is going: “The campaign spent more than $135 million on media buys and ad production; more than $6 million on air travel; about $4.9 million on payroll and related taxes; and $4.5 million on text messaging.” 2/

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     Heidi Li Feldman (heidilifeldman@mastodon.social)'s status on Sunday, 22-Sep-2024 06:09:32 JST Heidi Li Feldman

     in reply to

     What the reporting mentions but does not make wholly clear is that the Trump campaign relies much more on outside money than the Harris campaign does and those figures are difficult to pin down. The Washington Post: “…the super PACs aligned with Trump are continuing to raise large sums from high-dollar donors as the two candidates enter the final sprint before November.” 3/

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     Heidi Li Feldman (heidilifeldman@mastodon.social)'s status on Sunday, 22-Sep-2024 06:09:32 JST Heidi Li Feldman

     in reply to

     “[R]eports filed with the FEC on Friday night showed millions of dollars in contributions to Trump-aligned super PACs that are engaged in an intensive effort to cast Harris in a negative light just as many voters are learning about her background and credentials for the first time.” — The Washington Post

     One Trump megadonor alone has given at least $115 million to a high profile Trump-supporting PAC, Make America Great Again Inc. Donor is Timothy Mellon of that Mellon family. 4/

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     Heidi Li Feldman (heidilifeldman@mastodon.social)'s status on Sunday, 22-Sep-2024 06:09:32 JST Heidi Li Feldman

     in reply to

     To counter the big money boosting Trump, Harris is relying on her unprecedentedly large ground game and continued advertising and voter outreach. In the battleground states, the Washington Post reports, Harris has “at least 2,000 aides and 312 offices.” That is a lot of payroll, rent, utilities, and taxes. 5/

     Bill repeated this.
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     Heidi Li Feldman (heidilifeldman@mastodon.social)'s status on Sunday, 22-Sep-2024 06:09:32 JST Heidi Li Feldman

     in reply to

     Would it be better if candidates didn’t need to raise so much money to reach voters? Sure. Would it be even better if the Dems didn’t need even more money to preserve ballot access and conduct GOTV in the face of the Republican Party’s nationwide voter suppression effort? Of course. But neither of those needs are going away before this election. And only if Harris wins is there a chance of voting rights being protected in law, perhaps reducing the need for campaigns to spend so much on that. 6/