Harris raises $11.6 million in third quarter

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) raised $11.6 million for her presidential bid in the third quarter, the campaign said in a statement on Tuesday.

That amount is in line with Harris’s fundraising from the prior two quarters — she raised $11.8 million in the second quarter and $12 million in the first quarter.

{mosads}The campaign says it has $10 million cash on hand and plans to double the number of organizers it has on the ground in Iowa and South Carolina, two key early primate states, in the weeks ahead.

“This is a campaign that is growing, expanding, and built to win this primary,” said campaign manager Juan Rodriguez.

“As we have spent the summer months strengthening our infrastructure, we enter this final stretch of 2019 with ample resources to execute a winning game plan. With hundreds of organizers and staff in the early states and Super Tuesday California, we are ready to harness the energy of our thousands of grassroots volunteers to phone bank, knock doors and turn out the vote for Kamala in these 2020 contests.”

The Harris campaign has reportedly undergone a shake-up in recent weeks, as the California senator has drifted downward in the polls.

Politico reported on Tuesday that Harris has elevated two senior staff members to share new responsibilities with Rodriguez, the campaign manager.

Rodriguez suggested in a statement that those plans were long in the works and not indicative of a campaign in need of a reset.

“We continue to grow our organization as we enter the fourth quarter, and it has always been the plan to bring on additional management to oversee an expanded staff,” Rodriguez said.

“As we double our organizers in Iowa and South Carolina and expand our digital team, we’re in a strong position to execute our plan and win the nomination,” he continued.

Harris sprung into contention after attacking Biden over his record on racial busing at the first Democratic presidential debate in July.

However, she has stalled in the polls ever since, with some questioning her positions on key issues such as “Medicare for All.”

Harris is in fifth place in the RealClearPolitics average of polls, at 4.6 percent support nationally.

The Harris campaign said Tuesday that its average donation was $34 and that it has received contributions from more than 850,000 individual donors this year.   

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has so far raised the most money in the third quarter, although former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) have yet to announce their fundraising hauls.

Sanders’s campaign said it had raised $25.3 million, while South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg brought in $19.1 million. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J). posted a $6 million third quarter haul after a last-minute fundraising blitz.

Campaigns have until Oct. 15 to file their fundraising and spending reports with the Federal Election Commission, though many candidates are expected to release fundraising totals beforehand.