Kamala Harris' election campaign spent nearly three times
as much money as her rival Donald Trump did in August, pressing the Democrat's
financial advantage ahead of the Nov. 5 presidential election, according to
financial disclosures filed on Friday.
The two campaigns are entering the final stretch of an
extremely tight presidential contest. Harris,
the U.S. Vice President who launched her campaign in July when President Joe
Biden ended his own re-election bid and endorsed her, disclosed to the Federal
Election Commission spending of $174 million last month. Former Republican
President Trump's campaign separately reported outlays of $61
million.
While Harris' financial advantage will help her blanket
airwaves with television ads through the election, it might not deliver victory. The two candidates are
neck-and-neck in many polls, including in battleground states that could
determine the winner. In the 2016 presidential contest, Trump defeated Hillary
Clinton despite raising less money than the Democrat.
In August, Harris and Trump each said most of their
spending was on ads, with smaller sums paying for rallies, travel and campaign
staff salaries. Harris' campaign also reported making a $75,000 donation to the
Detroit Unity Fund, a non-profit that works to increase Black voter turnout in
Michigan, a major battleground in this year's election.
Harris' entry into the race, just weeks after Biden
performed poorly in a debate against Trump, fueled a surge in donations to her
campaign, which ended August with $235 million, just over what it had at the
beginning of the month.
The Trump campaign drew down on its balance, ending
August with $135 million, about $17 million less than at the start of the
month.
Harris and Trump had previously announced fundraising
totals for the month that included the accounts of their political parties. For
their official campaign reports to the Federal Election Commission, Harris
reported raising $190 million during August and Trump reported taking in $45
million.