Here are more photos of Vice President Kamala Harris and President Biden at Andrews Air Force Base last night. They were greeting Evan Gershkovich, Alsu Kurmasheva and Paul Whelan, three American citizens who were released from Russian prisons as part of a historic prisoner swap. The Biden administration has been working on freeing Whelan, Gershovich (a WSJ reporter) and Kurmasheva for two years. These photos represent a defining moment for the Biden administration and for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
I’ve been pleasantly surprised by Kamala Harris’s energy since Biden endorsed her as his replacement as the Democratic presidential nominee less than two weeks ago. VP Harris has been flying all over the country, speaking at events, holding campaign rallies, taking meetings with visiting dignitaries and running a nimble national campaign. Oh, and she also raised a historic amount of campaign cash in the month of July:
Vice President Kamala Harris ‘ campaign announced Friday that it raised $310 million last month, an eyepopping sum showing that donors who once seemed spooked about the prospects for November’s election with President Joe Biden are now offering mountains of cash to boost his former No. 2.
The haul by Harris, the Democratic National Committee and affiliated entities far outpaced Republican former President Donald Trump, whose campaign and assorted committees said they took in $138.7 million for July.
The vice president’s campaign also says it entered August with $377 million in cash on hand, which it described as the most for any presidential candidate at this point in the cycle. It was also well above the $327 million Trump’s team announced having to start the month.
“The tremendous outpouring of support we’ve seen in just a short time makes clear the Harris coalition is mobilized, growing, and ready to put in the work to defeat Trump this November,” Harris campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said in a statement. “Our money is going to the work that wins close elections.”
For what it’s worth, I donated to the Biden campaign during those weeks when Democratic turncoats were furiously briefing Beltway reporters about their plans to knife Biden in the back. I doubt I was alone there – when some Democrats saw the way the party was ratf–king him, they stepped up to donate, and that campaign cash is now Kamala Harris’s. As it should be. I also donated when she became the nominee too. I also love that the Harris campaign is already spending money. They quickly bought ads on NBC during the Olympics, timed during the live gymnastics coverage (arguably the most-watched event stateside).
More Kamala news… the hunt for a running mate continues, and the most likely candidates are canceling their weekend plans to sit by the phone in case Kamala calls. There are already jokes about Kamala hosting a rose ceremony to pick her VP. While there’s a lot to indicate that Harris has chosen Pennsylvania’s Gov. Shapiro, the fact that so many of the other guys on the shortlist are canceling their plans makes me believe that Harris is playing it close to the chest and no one but her inner circle knows who she’s chosen (please let it be Tim Walz).
Vanity Fair also points out another great piece of news for the Harris campaign – her campaign is now being covered by celebrity-gossip accounts and blogs like Pop Crave, The Shade Room and Hollywood Unlocked. The fact that one of her first major campaign rallies featured Megan Thee Stallion twerking and performing probably helps keep culturistas involved in politics.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.