Biden, in the season of giving, is poised to raise big campaign money this month
Washington — December is the season of giving and President Biden is setting aside plenty of time to thank big Democratic Party donors for gifting funds to his re-election campaign.
An aggressive coast-to-coast fundraising schedule begins Tuesday when the president is set to headline three fundraisers in the Boston area. The schedule includes events also headlined by first lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and top Biden-Harris campaign officials. Aides shared details with CBS News, anticipating the events will reinforce the president's leadership of the Democratic Party and his already-wide cash advantage over potential Republican general election rivals.
The Biden-Harris campaign said Tuesday night it expects to raise more than $15 million in the next five days through fundraisers in Boston, Washington and Los Angeles, and also through its ongoing small-dollar fundraising campaign.
The December haul is poised to be "a big number," said one Biden-Harris campaign bundler earlier Tuesday, who was granted anonymity to describe ongoing plans for this month's fundraisers. "The fundraising is going extremely well."
The schedule of big-dollar events follows a November described by campaign aides as the strongest "grassroots fundraising" month to date. Financial forward momentum makes sense given interest and involvement grows every month closer to Election Day 2024, but it's also needed as the campaign hires more staff, books more advertising and plots its ground game ahead of what is expected to be the most expensive campaign year ever, topping $10 billion in political ad spending across all media, according to AdImpact.
In addition to the stops in New England, the president is set to headline a fundraiser Wednesday evening in Washington — one of two he'll hold in D.C. this month — then fly west Friday for fundraisers Friday and Saturday in Los Angeles, a top donor capital. The president hasn't visited the City of Angels since the spring, before Hollywood directors and writers began their well-publicized strikes, to avoid wading into the labor dispute involving generous donors on both sides of the negotiating table. Movie director and power broker Jeffrey Katzenberg is co-chairing the president's re-election campaign but is not hosting the L.A.-area events this time. The Los Angeles Times first reported that one of them is scheduled to be co-chaired by Rick Caruso, a wealthy real estate developer and unsuccessful Republican-turned-independent-turned Democratic mayoral candidate last year who is said to be preparing for future campaigns of his own. A Caruso aide confirmed his involvement.
The fundraising continues next Monday in Philadelphia, a frequent Biden destination, when he appears alongside Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro. The 50-year-old governor is one of several potential future presidential aspirants currently serving as Biden-Harris campaign surrogates who has been helping raise cash in the coming days. Later this month, the president is set to appear with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore at a fundraiser in the Free State. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is scheduled to lead a fundraiser for the president this month in Boston. Sen. Alex Padilla of California plans to co-host two big-money functions in the Los Angeles area alongside Biden-Harris campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez, a California native. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, another campaign co-chair, scion of the family that owns the Hyatt Hotel chain and anticipated future presidential aspirant, has also hosted fundraisers for the president this fall.
The first lady is scheduled to travel with the president this week to California for the fundraisers and is set to appear at other events in the coming days. Harris, who raised campaign coin in Texas last month, is also planning to appear at other fundraisers this month. Other campaign bundlers, including former State Department official Karen Donfried, are also hosting smaller gatherings.