Kamala Harris may have quickly scooped up the necessary support from delegates to be the presumptive nominee, but her smooth sailing to the nomination is by no means a lock. As I previously reported, at least one major Democrat donor is refusing to fundraise for Harris.
“You have to be enthusiastic or hoping for a political appointment to be asking friends for money. I am neither," said Florida lawyer John Morgan. "It’s others' turn now." Morgan also said that he believes Harris will lose in November.
A subsequent report from Forbes indicates that Morgan is not the only megadonor who doesn't want to crown Kamala as the Democratic Party's nominee.
Previous: Democrat Civil War Watch: Has the Coup Against Kamala Already Started?
Some Democratic megadonors quickly rallied behind Harris, including LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, the infamous George Soros, and his son Alex.
Other wealthy Democratic donors, including Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings ($4.6 billion) and venture capitalist Vinod Khosla ($7.7 billion), suggested Democrats should consider options other than Harris, with Khosla writing Democrats should “have an open convention and get a more moderate candidate” in a post on X and Hastings tweeting that delegates need to “pick a swing state winner.”
Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg ($104.7 billion), who gave $20 million to support Biden last month, suggested Democrats shouldn’t “rush” to replace Biden as the nominee, tweeting Monday the party should instead “take the pulse of voters, especially in battleground states” during the four weeks before the convention is set to convene on Aug. 19.
Democratic fundraiser John Morgan said he wouldn’t fundraise for Harris, telling ABC News, “I don’t think she’s authentic” and calling her failed 2020 presidential campaign “horrible.”
However, their calls for a more open process for selecting Biden's replacement have gone unheeded since elected Democrats promptly rallied behind Harris and nobody has challenged her. Let's not forget that Democrat leaders may have blackmailed Joe Biden to force him to drop out, but campaign funds drying up due to the donor class cutting off cash forced their hand.
Previous: Democrat Civil War Watch: What Pelosi Really Thinks About Kamala Harris
If enough megadonors are miffed over the lack of a process to select the best candidate and are convinced that Kamala can't win either, they will arguably have similar sway over her future as the presumptive nominee as they did over Biden's. Will the donor class force a coup against Kamala? After what they did to Biden, anything is possible.
Even so, Harris is still the favorite to ultimately win the nomination regardless, but if the big megadonor cash doesn't come in over the next few weeks, anything can happen. While Harris has reportedly earned the support of a majority of delegates to become the presumptive Democratic Party nominee, they aren't legally bound to vote for her, and they could change their minds between now and the convention.
Will the donor class cause delegates to hedge? That's what I'll be looking at over the next few weeks.
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