Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris have collectively raised $154 million in the seven biggest battleground states, and while Harris’ fundraising has far surpassed Trump’s overall, the ex-president is within striking distance of her cash haul—or even surpassed it—in a couple of closely watched states where they’re neck-and-neck.
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally at Bojangles Coliseum, in Charlotte, N.C., on Sept. 12.
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Key Facts
- Arizona: Harris has outraised Trump in Arizona, but not overwhelmingly, taking in $11.8 million versus Trump’s $9.8 million, according to a compilation by the Federal Election Commission of donations through Oct. 16.
- Georgia: Harris also narrowly beats Trump in Georgia, raising $13.2 million versus $11.1 million for Trump.
- Michigan: The vice president has a stronger cash lead in Michigan, raising $14.3 million while Trump only garnered $8.1 million in donations.
- Nevada: Nevada is the one state where Trump leads Harris in fundraising, with the ex-president bringing in $5.2 million as compared with Harris’ $4.6 million.
- North Carolina: Harris has outraised Trump in North Carolina by nearly two-to-one, raising $17.9 million versus Trump’s $9.3 million.
- Pennsylvania: Harris has raised the most cash in Pennsylvania out of any battleground state, and she has her biggest fundraising lead over Trump there, with the $24.2 million she’s taken in being more than double Trump’s $10.7 million.
- Wisconsin: Harris has also raised more than twice as much as Trump in Wisconsin, garnering $9.4 million versus Trump raising $4.2 million.
What To Watch For
The FEC’s fundraising totals are only through Oct. 16, and it won’t be clear how much candidates have raised in battleground states since then until after the election.
How Does Their Fundraising Compare To The Polls?
There’s a wider difference between Harris and Trump’s cash hauls in battleground states than there is in the polls, where every battleground state appears to be virtually tied ahead of Election Day. Based on polling averages compiled by FiveThirtyEight on Friday, Trump has the biggest—albeit narrow—leads in Arizona, Georgia and North Carolina, where he leads by between 1.4 and 2.3 percentage points on average, even as Harris has outraised him in all three states. She narrowly leads Trump in Nevada with a 0.5% advantage, however, despite his bigger fundraising total there. FiveThirtyEight’s averages also show Trump narrowly ahead in Pennsylvania—though only by 0.4%—while Harris has narrow leads in Michigan (1% advantage) and Wisconsin (0.7%).
Where Have Kamala Harris And Trump Raised The Most Money?
Harris and Trump’s biggest cash piles have unsurprisingly come from the states that have the biggest populations, even if their leadership favors the opposing party. Both candidates have raised the most money in left-leaning California, with Harris earning $145.9 million in her home state and Trump taking in $37.1 million.
Harris’ second-biggest haul came from New York, where she raised $63.8 million, followed by Texas with $33.3 million. Trump’s second-most lucrative state was Texas, where he only slightly outraised Harris with $35.8 million, followed by his adopted home state of Florida, where he took in $34.6 million. (Trump’s native New York, where he built his real estate empire, ranked fourth with $12.3 million.)
Where Have Kamala Harris And Trump Raised The Least Money?
The candidates have received the fewest donations from states with smaller populations that largely support their rival’s party. For Harris, those states are North and South Dakota, where she’s only raised $461,725 and $746,733, respectively. Trump performed the worst in Vermont, where he’s raked in only $302,192, and Rhode Island, where he raised $581,829.
How Much Have Kamala Harris And Trump Raised Overall?
The $95.4 million and $58.7 million that Harris and Trump, respectively, have raised in battleground states is only a fraction of their total fundraising hauls. The Harris campaign has raised $997.2 million so far this election cycle as of Oct. 16 with $118 million in cash on hand, which is nearly three times as much as the $388 million Trump’s raised, with $36.2 million in cash on hand.
Those totals only include the amounts raised through the candidates’ official campaign committees, however, with both also receiving help from national parties and outside super PACs that don’t have contribution limits, attracting bigger donors. FEC filings suggest Trump may have more of an advantage there, with the top 10 super PACs supporting Trump, as identified by the FEC, raising a collective $569.2 million this election cycle through Oct. 16, as compared with $535.5 million raised by Harris’ top PACs.
Trump has been buoyed financially by billionaire donors such as Timothy Mellon, who’s given at least $150 million to super PACs supporting the ex-president, and Elon Musk, who’s given at least $118 million to his America super PAC, which is reportedly leading Trump’s canvassing efforts in addition to controversially giving away $1 million per day to a randomly selected swing state voter.
