AP - Vice President Kamala Harris raised 27 million dollars at a packed fundraising event in New York City on Sunday, her largest fundraising effort since replacing President Joe Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee, according to a Harris campaign aide.
While the candidate has significantly more money than former President Donald Trump, the funds will be necessary to compete with expensive advertising from well-funded outside groups supporting Trump, the aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private fundraising details, said.
The successful fundraising event took place at Cipriani Wall Street in a grand Greek-style ballroom with more than a dozen columns. Much of the crowd stood shoulder to shoulder as Harris criticized Trump for refusing to debate her again.
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"My opponent seems to be looking for an excuse," Harris told the crowd. "I firmly believe we owe it to the American people, to the voters, to come together once more before Election Day."
She reiterated that later when she told reporters upon landing outside Washington that "we have more to discuss."
Trump has rejected further debates, stating on Saturday that "it's simply too late."
"The voting has already begun," he said at a rally in Wilmington, North Carolina, as voters cast their first ballots in person last week in Minnesota, South Dakota, and Virginia, the states with the earliest opportunities for early in-person voting. About a dozen more states will follow in mid-October.
Harris also announced that she will deliver a speech on Wednesday outlining her economic vision, noting that "we can do more to invest in the aspirations and ambitions of the American people as we address the challenges we face."