Harris Campaign Events Make Headlines for Their Demographic Makeup
Vice President and presumptive Democratic nominee for president Kamala Harris has raised an eye-popping $200 million since kicking off her race against the Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump. Her campaign events have made headlines not only for raking in the big bucks but also for their demographic makeup – a “White Dudes for Harris” Zoom call drew nearly 30,000 participants Monday.
The online event, which featured nearly 30 speakers and raised more than $4 million, wasn’t the only e-fundraising event to draw eyes this past week. A separate white women for Harris event broke the world record for the largest Zoom call, drawing nearly 200,000 participants and reportedly raising over $8.5 million in 24 hours.
The “White Women: Answer the Call” Zoom featured multiple celebrity guests like soccer star Megan Rapinoe, musician P!nk, and author Gloria Steinem. Hit show “White Lotus” actress Connie Britton spoke, jokingly dubbing the group “Karens for Kamala.”
Arielle Fodor, a TikTok influencer with over 1.3 million followers known for explaining things in a “gentle parent” voice, went viral for her contributions to the white women’s Zoom meeting.
“As White women, we need to use our privilege to make positive changes,” she said. “If you find yourself talking over or speaking for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and other people of color) individuals, or God forbid, correcting them, just take a beat and instead we can put our listening ears on,” Fodor said during her speech.
The remarks were called “next-level cringe” by X owner Elon Musk on his platform, but have been hailed as progressive by others. The two video calls, designed to draw white people, modeled themselves after prior Zoom calls which drew minority groups, like black women, black men, South Asian women, Latinas, and other groups.
The various Zoom calls have raised around $15 million for the Harris campaign and signal renewed excitement among the Democratic base.
“I’m excited, man. The fact that Joe passed the baton so beautifully and Kamala is our girl,” exclaimed Jeff Bridges, “The Big Lebowski” star and all-time white dude. “A woman president. How exciting!”
Some figures on the right found the identity-based gatherings distasteful. People argue there is no need to gather in groups based on race or gender to show support for a candidate.
Others thought attendees, especially white male attendees, were simply pandering to women. Fox News’ Jesse Watters hosted a discussion on the network about the “White Dudes for Harris” Zoom, saying he doesn’t understand “why any man would vote Democrat.”
“To be a man and then vote for a woman just because she’s a woman is either childish, that person has mommy issues, or they’re just trying to be accepted by other women,” said Watters. “And I heard the scientists say the other day that when a man votes for a woman, he actually transitions into a woman.”
It is not shocking that identity politics would become an issue in a race that pits a white man against an African American and Asian American woman. And demographic-based campaigning is not new: Candidates on both sides of the aisle frequently attend identity-based events, like when Trump spoke at a black congregation in Detroit or Harris appeared on RuPaul’s “Drag Race,” a reality competition show starring drag queens.
Both politicians are vying for minority votes. A recent Harvard-Harris poll – in which Trump led Harris by four points, a greater margin than his two-point lead in the RCP Average – showed Harris outperforming Trump among female and non-white voters, though Trump was leading among male and white voters.
Over half (52%) of non-white voters polled said they planned to vote for Harris, while a quarter (26%) said the same of Trump. Two in five (39%) of white voters support Trump, while 28% support Harris. Just one in five (20%) men support Harris, while 45% support Trump, and Harris has the support of 44% of women, compared to Trump’s 30% female support. Most other respondents pledged support to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the independent candidate.
In the end, the race will be won in the amalgamation of voting blocs – not the separation of them.
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