Kamala Harris secures Democratic nomination for president

The vice-president rakes in $310 million in funds while her Republican rival’s campaign ‘feels the heat’ with $138.7 million

Kamala Harris trounced Donald Trump’s fundraising efforts last month with a $310 million (£242 million) donation haul.
The Democratic candidate beat her Republican rival, whose campaign raised £108 million ($138.7 million) in July, the same month he survived an assassination attempt and announced JD Vance as his running mate.
Ms Harris, who officially secured her party’s nomination on Friday, entered August with a $377 million war chest.
Her campaign described it as the most for any presidential candidate in history at this point in the cycle, which exceeded the $327 million Trump’s team announced it had on hand.
In a campaign email sent to supporters on Friday, Ms Harris said the 12 days since Joe Biden stepped down and she announced her election bid had been “incredibly inspiring”.
Noting the vast donation haul, she said: “The enthusiasm is real, the momentum is shifting, and Donald Trump is feeling the heat.”
Julie Chavez Rodriguez, Ms Harris’s campaign manager said: “The tremendous outpouring of support we’ve seen in just a short time makes clear the Harris coalition is mobilised, growing, and ready to put in the work to defeat Trump this November.”
“Our money is going to the work that wins close elections.”
Trump’s totals for July were boosted by an assassination attempt against the former president during a rally in Pennsylvania, which galvanised some of his fiercest supporters, and by his selection of Mr Vance at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
Ms Harris, 59, should receive another boost in campaign donations when she announces her running mate in the coming days. They expect a further uplift during the Democratic convention, which starts on Aug 19 in Chicago.
The figures released by both campaigns this week do not include full Federal Elections Commission fillings. This makes it difficult to determine how much of Ms Harris’ haul came after Mr Biden announced he was abandoning his re-election bid on July 21.
The vice-president is expected to select her vice-president candidate before a joint rally in Philadelphia on Tuesday when the pair will kick off a tour of the swing states.
Ms Harris is planning to meet the candidates this weekend after law firm Covington & Burling finished vetting her potential picks, according to the New York Times.
The former California attorney general is said to be leaning towards picking Josh Shapiro, the governor of Pennsylvania, a crucial swing state, Axios reported.
Other candidates in the running include Mark Kelly, the Arizona senator, and Andy Beshear, the Kentucky governor,
Ms Harris secured a majority of the pledged delegates to the 2024 Democratic National Convention after being the sole candidate on the ballot for a five-day electronic vote.
She will be officially crowned at a Chicago convention later this month.