The amount was raised in the first 5 hours after the president said he was leaving the electoral race
The NGO (non-governmental organization) ActBluewhich works for Democratic candidates, he said that donations to the US Vice President, Kamala Harris (Democratic Party), reached US$ 27.5 million (around R$ 152.45 million) in the first 5 hours after the country’s leader, Joe Biden (Democratic Party), withdraw from running for re-election.
Biden, 81, announced on Sunday (July 21, 2024) that he would be leaving the race. With this, Kamala Harris, 59, positions herself as the Democratic Party’s main candidate to face the former president. Donald Trump (Republican Party), 78 years old.
In the US, corporate donations to campaigns are prohibited, as is the case in Brazil. However, the country allows NGOs to support certain causes aligned with campaigns. These organizations can pay for TV commercials and advertising in the media in general – there is no free airtime in the United States, so candidates must buy the space to advertise their campaigns.
These NGOs are called PACs (political action committees –political action committees, in the free translation into Portuguese). The largest, such as ActBlue, are considered Super PACs. According to Federal Election Commission from the US, the Super PACs “are committees that can receive unlimited contributions from individuals, corporations, unions, and other PACs for the purpose of funding independent expenditures and other independent political activities”.
On X (formerly Twitter), ActBlue declared that donors “are energized and excited” to support Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee.
Also on Sunday (21.Jul), ActBlue stated having received US$46.7 million (approximately R$258.90 million) for Democratic candidate campaigns in general. According to the NGO, it is the largest volume of donations in a single day in 2024.
BIDEN WITHDRAWAL
Biden’s withdrawal was expected by many analysts and members of the Democratic Party. Since his poor performance in the first presidential debate against Trump on June 27, the US president had been facing increasing pressure from allies, both inside and outside the party, to give up on seeking a second term in the White House.
Biden’s performance in the debate was widely criticized, with the US president showing difficulty completing thoughts, stuttering and getting lost at various points.
Since June 30, at least 38 Democratic politicians have called on Biden to drop out of the race for the White House. survey It’s from the American newspaper New York Times.
Biden said the debate was just “a bad night”. He was not convinced. He saw his support in the presidential race waver. He was asked by supporters such as actor George Clooney and campaign sponsors to rethink his continued participation in the election.
Important Democrats have spoken out calling for Biden to withdraw his candidacy, saying they do not believe he would be able to defeat the Republican at the polls.
Democratic leaders in Congress, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), have spoken directly to Biden over the past week. They have warned of widespread concerns that his candidacy could hurt Democrats’ chances of controlling either chamber next year.
The US president’s blunders have become increasingly frequent. On July 11, Biden made two more gaffes, one after the other: 1st) called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “Putin” It is 2nd) mistook Vice President Kamala Harris for Trump. The internet was abuzz with memes.
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NEXT STEPS
With Biden’s withdrawal, the 3,896 Democratic delegates who pledged their support to the chief executive in the party primaries can follow the president’s wishes. However, by rule, they are not obliged to do so. The US president has declared his support for his vice president, Kamala Harris.
The Democratic Party has 3 possible routes to replace Biden in the electoral race:
A 1st of them would be to achieve unanimity around Kamala’s candidacy. The Democratic National Convention will be held from August 19 to 22, 2024, in Chicago. The party, however, had exceptionally planned a virtual vote in the first week of August to officially nominate Biden.
That online vote could be postponed or canceled, but if Democratic leaders can achieve unity among delegates, the vice president could be officially named as the nominee.
A 2nd route would be to form unity around another candidate. To do this, the Democrats could hold debates among those who express interest in the nomination. The short time frame, however, is an obstacle to this scenario. A virtual vote like this is not common in the United States.
Without virtual voting, the party’s decision would be left to the convention – the 3rdth route available. This scenario opens up the possibility of an “open” convention, that is, when no candidate arrives with a clear majority of delegates, something that has not happened with the Democrats in 56 years.
Read more about the subject in this report from Poder360.
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