President Biden's campaign says it raised $127 million in June, calling it the best fundraising month of his re-election campaign. The campaign also said it entered July with $240 million among its committees, an increase from last month despite expanding its campaign footprint and a $50 million ad buy in June.
The money is a welcome sign for the campaign, which is still being processed political consequences of his party after a disastrous and shaky performance by Mr. Biden in last week's debate. A CBS News Sunday poll showed that voters are also steadily losing confidence in the 81-year-old president's mental and cognitive health.
Mr Biden's campaign says 95% of his contributions for the second fundraising quarter (April to June) were under $200, and 864,000 of those donors are making their first donation this election cycle .
From April to June, the Biden-Harris campaign raised a total of $264 million. He was outraged by the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee in April and May, when they saw a boost in support after Trump's conviction of the “hush money” payment trial in New York City. The Trump campaign has yet to release its June numbers.
But the Biden campaign also benefited from two big contributions in June: a fundraiser with stars in Los Angeles that brought in $30 million and $38 million grossed on the day of the debate through the weekend after. The campaign says the hour after the debate set a record for grassroots funding, and that the day of the debate itself was the best day for small dollar donations.
“This election is going to be close and the stakes couldn't be higher, that's why [June’s] Fundraising is very important. It will ensure that we reach and mobilize the voters who will decide this election every day,” said Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez.
The exact June fundraisers for both Biden and Trump won't be known until later this month, when both campaigns officially file their respective reports.
Biden's debate performance added to existing concerns about his age and mental condition. A CBS News poll showed that only 27 percent of registered voters believe Mr. Biden has the mental and cognitive health to serve as president, down from 35 percent in early June. By comparison, 50% said they believe Trump has the cognitive health to serve.
The sitting president and his campaign have been moving forward, airing an ad on Monday that includes clips of a much more energetic and focused Mr. Biden at a rally in North Carolina the day after the debate (where he did have a teleprompter and was surrounded by supporters). ).
“Friends, I know I'm not a young man. But I know how to do this job. I know right from wrong, I know how to tell the truth,” Biden said at the rally in Raleigh, North Carolina.
They have also held meetings to calm anxious donors, including a call led by campaign chair Jen O'Malley Dillon on Monday afternoon with more than 600 listeners, according to two people who attended the call.
On that call, Dillon touted internal post-debate campaign polling that showed the horse race in battleground states between him and Trump has not changed since the debate, with Trump still leading a head-to-head matchup expensive by 1% (46% to 45%), and 2% when third-party candidates are taken into account.
A Hart Research internal poll note says its May poll had similar gaps between Biden and Trump.
“While some of President Biden's 2020 voters say they feel more negative about him as a result of the debate, a majority of those voters stand with Biden: 64% support him in the multi-candidate test and 77% supports him going head-to-head with Trump,” pollster Geoff Garin wrote in a note.
