From door knockers to donors: Harris' war chest has many first-time contributors
Two days after President Joe Biden dropped his reelection bid and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, Michelle Soss made a $36 donation to the campaign.
It was the first time ever that the 55-year-old self-described “fat, Jewish woman” from Vero Beach, Florida, had donated to a political candidate.
The unorthodox amount was significant, too.
In the Jewish religion, multiples of 18 are considered to be a lucky number, she said. “So, any gifts we give for special occasions, they are in increments of 18 for good wishes.”
More: Exclusive: Kamala Harris surges ahead of Donald Trump in latest poll taken after DNC
A lifelong Democrat who moved from New York to Florida earlier this year, Soss says she made up her mind to vote for Biden because she couldn’t stomach another Trump presidency. But she says she was worried about the party’s prospects. Biden’s debate performance only further cemented the worry.
Soss said she never felt enthusiastic enough about Biden to want to donate. Her support for Biden was more about not wanting to vote for Trump.
When Biden decided to drop out of the race and Harris quickly emerged as the heir apparent, Soss felt energized.
She is among many first-time donors ? especially women ? who say they feel a greater sense of engagement in the election since Harris emerged as a top candidate for president. Several interviewed by USA TODAY expressed that they are more active in the election buildup, saying that they have gone from phone banking and door knocking to actual cash donors.
About a third of all donations during the Democratic convention last week came from first-time donors. The campaign said a majority of donations came from women and almost one-fifth were young voters.
Teachers and nurses such as Soss were the most common donor occupations. So far Harris has built a historic $540 million dollar war chest.
“What moved me is her energy, her strength. I want to see a strong, independent, educated woman in charge because quite honestly, that is how I identify as a strong, educated, humanitarian woman,” said Soss, who is attending school to become a nurse practitioner.
Token donation in a swing state
Lakshmi Iyer, a mother of three girls, from Exton, Pennsylvania, said she was devastated when Hillary Clinton lost the 2016 election to former President Trump.
As a swing state resident, Iyer, 48, a business analyst, says she always believed that her time and efforts were best spent getting more voters to register, and speaking to as many people as she could.
“I feel like my vote matters,” she said. “And I feel like if we sit this one out and this election doesn’t go the way we want it to, we may never have an election again.”But when Harris became the nominee, Iyer said she felt the extra push to make a “token” donation.
She contributed $10.
As a South Indian from Madras, where Harris' grandparents lived for many years, the "token" donation was her way of "manifesting' a Harris win, she said.
'Sand was slipping away'
For Niru Kachru, a Woodbridge, Connecticut resident, the potential loss of reproductive freedom is the biggest concern under a second Trump presidency.
Kachru, 52, who moved here from Dubai in 2005, said she'd voted for Biden in 2020 and would have once again voted for him in November - but she was fearful of Biden's lack of vigor.
"It was seemed like the sand was slipping away from the hands," said Kachru, who works in the healthcare and medical devices industry.
When Biden quit the race, she says she felt relieved.
"With Harris, there was an infusion of youth and energy," she said. "She's very charismatic."
Two days later, on a Zoom call for South Asian Women for Harris, she pledged to donate to Harris. So far, she's donated $56. While she had phone banked before, she'd never made a financial contribution.
"It's a historic election, a woman of color, someone of South Asian descent could be president," she said.
LGBTQ rights weigh heavily
Soss, whose father was a closeted gay man for many years of his life, is a reason she feels strongly about LGBTQ rights.
To imagine that some of the hard-fought rights over the years could be under threat is unacceptable to her, she said.
On the Israel-Hamas war, though Harris has not made her position clear, she said she trusts Harris would be on the same page as her.
Soss, who is hoping for the safe return of Israeli hostages and for the end to civilian deaths in Gaza, said she wasn’t a “100% sure” if she wanted a ceasefire until Hamas was rooted out.
One thing that gives her confidence is Harris' husband, Doug Emhoff.
“She can't be an anti-Semite and marry somebody Jewish," Soss said.
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy is a White House correspondent for USA TODAY. You can follow her on X, formerly Twitter, @SwapnaVenugopal
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Manifesting' a Kamala Harris win, first-time donors dole out cash
