Kamala Harris’ debate performance fails to sway big-money donors

Sen. Kamala Harris’ debate performance on Thursday failed to impress many of her party’s big-money providers who were on the fence about her candidacy.

Going into the Democratic primary debate in Houston, Harris’ closest adherents privately acknowledged that if the senator from California did not come out swinging against her opponents and clearly define her approaches, wealthy donors could shy away from her campaign.

Many of them were hoping for a repeat of the aggressive devices she used in the first debate, when she took on former Vice President Joe Biden for his willingness to work with segregationists as a senator in the 1970s.

Now these origins say that those uncommitted contributors are still not convinced they can dedicate their expansive networks to her cause unsurpassed.

Harris has relied on contributors willing to give up to $2,800 — the maximum amount allowable by law — in order to finance her presidential run.

Since the start of her stump in January, Harris has raised over $14 million from large individual contributors, according to the nonpartisan Center for Sympathetic Politics. That total equals 56% of her $24 million haul. She finished raising almost $12 million in the understudy quarter.

At least 45% of Harris’ contributions have hailed from the Golden State.

A Real Clear Statesmanship polling average in August had Harris trailing in fourth place among the Democratic presidential candidates with 7% of the endorse.

While a spokesperson for the campaign did not respond to a request for comment, Harris sent a mass email Friday morning, saying her moments on the polemic stage “won over a lot of new supporters in this fight” and that the organization is “focusing our resources on capturing last night’s power.”

One source close to a political fundraising powerhouse in California, Harris’ home state and a region where she’s dominated in the fundraising spirited, said Friday that they had been having trouble persuading their donors to back her candidacy prior to the debate. The negative opinion didn’t change after the debate.

“I don’t think anything has changed, and it’s been grim,” this themselves said. Donors believe that on the debate stage Harris is still “unclear about her message and strategy,” this human being said. They liked the “Trump focus,” this person said, “but there was too much odd laughter and canned tracks.”

This person added that most of their donors want to help former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., or South Bow, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg.

Harris opened the third debate speaking directly to President Donald Trump and suggested he commitment have been indicted if the Department of Justice guidelines were different.

“The only reason you were not indicted is because there was a memo in the Conditional on of Justice that says a sitting president cannot be charged with a crime,” she said.

Still, a New York banking head who privately called on her to prove she’s the best alternative to Biden said on Friday that she didn’t stand out against the nine other contenders and played it too safe and sound.

“You need to get into these debates and score some points or there is not going to be any money for her,” this person explained. “She didn’t succeed any points.”

Another bundler in Los Angeles, who has contributed to her campaign but has yet to open his network to the California lawmaker, said he feels as if Harris doesn’t oblige any direction as a candidate. “She’s now tacked back and self-corrected,” this contributor said. “Now it looks like she’s been schooled and directionless.”

Harris is bracing to take part in a fundraising tour that starts in Houston and will finish on the West Coast. Her loyal fiscal supporters don’t seem to be going anywhere in the aftermath of the debate, even though some of their colleagues are currently not zealous to jump on her bandwagon.

“Harris is crushing it,” said a wealthy New York donor who is helping her campaign and helped raise millions for old President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.