Harris Campaign Outspends Trump Nearly Threefold in August

Washington, DC, september 21:
The financial disclosures filed on September 20th show that in August, the campaign of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris spent nearly three times as much money as her Republican opponent Donald Trump. This puts the Democrat's financial advantage in the lead-up to the November 5th election.

The presidential race is getting down to the wire as the two campaigns head into the home stretch. Last month, Harris revealed to the Federal Election Commission that she had spent $174 million on her campaign. This was in July, when she was endorsed by President Joe Biden, who ended his own re-election bid. A separate report indicated that $61 million had been spent by the campaign of former Republican president Trump.

The financial advantage Harris has will allow her to flood the airwaves with television ads during the election, but it may not be enough to win. In several polls, including those in states that are considered to be "battlegrounds," the two candidates are running neck and neck. Despite raising less money than Clinton, Trump was able to defeat her in the 2016 presidential contest.

Ads, according to both Harris and Trump's August reports, ate up the lion's share of their campaign budgets, while smaller amounts covered rallies, travel, and staff salaries. Michigan is a key battleground state this election season, and Harris' campaign also announced a $75,000 contribution to the Detroit Unity Fund, an organization that aims to boost Black voter participation in the state.

With a little more than it had at the start of the month, Harris' campaign ended August with $235 million, thanks in large part to the influx of money that followed Biden's dismal performance in a debate against Trump. By the end of August, the Trump campaign had spent $135 million, a decrease of nearly $17 million from the beginning of the month.

The fundraising totals for the month, which included both Harris and Trump's party accounts, were previously announced. Harris reported $190 million in August campaign contributions, while Trump reported $45 million, according to their official reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.