埃姆霍夫将在玛莎葡萄园岛筹款，哈里斯竞选团队在马萨诸塞州筹集了大量资金

【中美创新时报2024 年 7 月29 日编译讯】（记者温友平编译）自副总统哈里斯八天前开始竞选总统以来，一系列活动表明马萨诸塞州如何展示了其作为筹款强国的实力。随着该州的民主党筹款人报告了大大小小的捐助者的新热情，哈里斯竞选团队已经开始利用这种能量。哈里斯丈夫埃姆霍夫取代吉尔·拜登参加了拜登退出竞选前计划的新英格兰筹款活动，在此期间，他将于周二访问楠塔基特，随后前往新罕布什尔州和缅因州。《波士顿环球报》记者安贾利·黄（Anjali Huynh ）和布鲁克·豪瑟（Brooke Hauser ）对此作了下述报道。

拜登总统退出总统竞选前，副总统卡马拉·哈里斯的最后一次竞选活动是在马萨诸塞州普罗温斯敦的一场筹款活动。

在发起自己的竞选活动后，她第一次参加的活动之一是……同样是在马萨诸塞州，她周六回到那里参加皮茨菲尔德的一场筹款活动，大提琴家马友友和歌手詹姆斯·泰勒将参加。

她的丈夫道格·埃姆霍夫将于周一在玛莎葡萄园岛参加另外两场活动，其中包括在葡萄园港举行的一场筹款活动，由电视主持人大卫·莱特曼主持。

不，新成立的哈里斯竞选团队并不担心锁定马萨诸塞州 11 张可靠的民主党选举人票。然而，他们有兴趣筹集大量资金。

自副总统八天前开始竞选总统以来，一系列活动表明马萨诸塞州如何展示了其作为筹款强国的实力。随着该州的民主党筹款人报告了大大小小的捐助者的新热情，哈里斯竞选团队已经开始利用这种能量。埃姆霍夫取代吉尔·拜登参加了拜登退出竞选前计划的新英格兰筹款活动，在此期间，他将于周二访问楠塔基特，随后前往新罕布什尔州和缅因州。

据竞选团队称，哈里斯计划在拜登退出前参加的皮茨菲尔德活动筹集了超过 140 万美元，是筹款人最初目标的三倍多。与此同时，埃姆霍夫对葡萄园的访问门票在周一之前就已售罄，超过了最初 25 万美元的目标。除此之外，上周在普罗温斯敦筹集的 200 万美元也已到位。

在新英格兰为民主党筹款的肖恩·柯伦 (Sean Curran) 表示，在拜登退出之前，“人们对于向人们要钱感到不安——他们并不那么热情，因为候选人资格似乎停滞不前。” 但自从哈里斯加入以来，他收到了“不同寻常”数量的潜在捐助者请求，询问他们如何提供帮助。

“民主党需要受到候选人的鼓舞，当他们受到鼓舞时，你会看到活动，你会看到行动——你会看到我们现在为她看到的一切，”他说。

来自马萨诸塞州的巨额资金不会很快停止。

根据《波士顿环球报》获得的邀请，哈里斯胜利基金是该竞选活动的主要融资工具，将于 8 月 13 日在埃德加敦举行另一场活动，由佐治亚州参议员拉斐尔·沃诺克 (Raphael Warnock) 和特拉华州众议员丽莎·布朗特·罗切斯特 (Lisa Blunt Rochester) 主持。预计全国其他民主党人将在未来几周访问葡萄园，利用该地区作为黑人政治力量中心的地位筹集资金。

罗宾·利兹 (Robin Leeds) 是竞选活动全国财务委员会成员，领导着咨询公司 Winning Strategies，他表示，组织者必须“重新调整”并“迅速过渡以适应哈里斯竞选活动的所有新参与者”。

“人们吵吵闹闹——他们想加入，”利兹说，他经常在葡萄园举办民主党筹款活动。 “无论是 25 美元的捐款，还是已经用尽的人，他们都将其视为一种参与的方式，可以影响结果并成为创造历史的一部分……我们的草根筹款活动以我从未见过的方式超出了预期。”

前民主党全国委员会主席、马萨诸塞州超级代表史蒂夫·格罗斯曼 (Steve Grossman) 补充说，除了筹集资金外，“经验丰富的活动人士的参与至少是他们花时间来这里的重要原因。”

自从取代拜登成为候选人以来，哈里斯巩固了党内支持，获得了高层领导人的支持。截至周日，她的竞选团队报告称筹集了超过 2 亿美元，并招募了超过 17 万名新志愿者。几项民意调查显示，在关键战场州，她和前总统唐纳德·特朗普之间的差距缩小了。

哈里斯在马萨诸塞州的支持不仅限于金钱，该州的民主党人也支持她。参议员伊丽莎白·沃伦和埃德·马基周六在皮茨菲尔德的活动中都发表了讲话，该活动由前州长德瓦尔·帕特里克共同主持。

帕特里克此前曾呼吁通过“简短、竞争性的程序”来确定提名人，他说民主党人“如此迅速和热情地”团结在哈里斯周围，这令人印象深刻。他没有简单地攻击特朗普，而是敦促民主党人“提出一个竞争性的明天愿景”，他说周六哈里斯的这一愿景让他感到鼓舞。

“将这种能量转化为组织是一个长期的挑战——这是一个巨大的提升——但这也是一个非常大的机会，我认为我们会做到的，”他说。

另一位支持哈里斯的马萨诸塞州民主党人、州长莫拉·希利重申了她对副总统的支持，同时多次批评特朗普没有承诺在 9 月与她辩论。

“卡玛拉·哈里斯是一个有力量、有风度、有同理心、有同情心的人，是的，她很坚强——这可能就是唐纳德·特朗普今晚退出辩论的原因，”希利在周四的“支持卡玛拉·哈里斯”Zoom 电话会议上说道。

全国各地的民主党人组织了几次这样的呼吁，组织联盟来筹集资金，从“与黑人女性一起获胜”到“白人支持哈里斯”。受到这些努力的启发，萨默维尔居民、全国青年民主党残疾问题核心小组主席莱斯利·坦普尔顿帮助组织了“残疾选民支持卡玛拉·哈里斯”的呼吁。

“目标是让残疾选民和残疾人社区参与进来，让他们对竞选活动充满信心，向他们展示希望，让他们看到自己可以有所作为，”坦普尔顿说，他在皮茨菲尔德的筹款活动之前认识了哈里斯。

虽然马萨诸塞州今年秋天几乎肯定会投票支持哈里斯，但该州党主席史蒂夫·克里根表示，该党计划以其他方式动员，包括向新罕布什尔州、宾夕法尼亚州和北卡罗来纳州等竞争更激烈的州派遣志愿者。他说，自哈里斯加入以来，捐款增长了 300%，其中 71% 来自新捐赠者。

距离大选不到 100 天，哈里斯在向公众介绍自己时仍面临障碍。周六聚集在一起看望哈里斯的人群中，有戴着标志性红色“MAGA”帽子的特朗普支持者和反对加沙战争的抗议者。前党主席格罗斯曼表示，他预计哈里斯还将解决民主党棘手的问题，例如经济和移民问题。

哈里斯周六承认了这一现实，她告诉 800 名捐赠者“我们在这场竞选中处于劣势”。 “但是，”她补充道，“这是一场由人民推动的竞选，我们有动力。”

她抨击了可能的对手，称特朗普“一直在对我的履历撒谎”，并表示“他和他的竞选搭档说的有些话简直太奇怪了”，这是她最近最喜欢的攻击口号。在她演讲的几个时刻，观众纷纷起立欢呼、鼓掌，并高喊哈里斯的一句台词：“我们不会回头。”

雪莉·埃杰顿 (Shirley Edgerton) 是 Rites of Passage and Empowerment 的创始人，这是一个针对有色人种年轻女孩的辅导计划，她称赞哈里斯在抵达马萨诸塞州后会见了她的一些项目参与者。

“今天早上，我们的一些女孩在机场迎接长得像她们的副总统，她是一名女性，是有色人种，为我们的国家带来了希望和灵感？我的意思是，没有比这更好的了，”戴着串珠“卡玛拉”手镯的埃杰顿说。“我们中的一些人哭了一整天。”

题图：上周末，副总统卡马拉·哈里斯在皮茨菲尔德举行的筹款活动吸引了场外支持者，筹集了 140 多万美元。Brooke Hauser/波士顿环球报

附原英文报道：

Emhoff to fund-raise in Martha’s Vineyard, as Harris campaign taps deep pockets in Mass.

By Anjali Huynh and Brooke Hauser Globe Staff,Updated July 29, 2024,  

The last campaign stop Vice President Kamala Harris made before President Biden dropped out of the presidential race was in Massachusetts, at a fund-raiser in Provincetown.

Among her first after launching her own bid was … also in Massachusetts, where she returned Saturday to attend a fund-raiser in Pittsfield featuring cellist Yo-Yo Ma and singer James Taylor.

And her husband, Doug Emhoff, was set to appear at two more events on Martha’s Vineyard on Monday, including a fund-raiser featuring television host David Letterman in Vineyard Haven.

No, the newly-minted Harris campaign isn’t worried about locking down Massachusetts’ 11 reliably-Democratic electoral votes. They are, however, interested in raising lots of cash.

The flurry of events show how Massachusetts has flexed its muscle as a fund-raising powerhouse since the vice president began her presidential run just eight days ago. As Democratic fund-raisers in the state reported fresh enthusiasm among donors big and small, the Harris campaign has moved to take advantage of the energy. Emhoff replaced Jill Biden on a New England fund-raising swing planned before Biden left the race, during which he will visit Nantucket on Tuesday and later travel to New Hampshire and Maine.

The Pittsfield event, which Harris planned to attend prior to Biden’s exit, raised over $1.4 million, according to the campaign, more than tripling the fund-raiser’s original goal. Emhoff’s visit to the Vineyard, meanwhile, sold out well before Monday and surpassed its original goal of $250,000. All this on top of the $2 million amassed in Provincetown last week.

Sean Curran, who raises money for Democrats in New England, said before Biden dropped out, “there were trepidations about asking people for money — they were not as enthusiastic because the candidacy seemed pretty stalled.” But since Harris entered, he’s fielded an “unusual” number of requests from potential donors asking how they can help.

“The Democratic Party needs to be inspired by the candidate at the top of the ticket, and when they are inspired, you see activity, you see action — you see everything we’re seeing right now for her,” he said.

The large sums rolling in from Massachusetts won’t stop anytime soon.

The Harris Victory Fund, the campaign’s chief finance vehicle, will hold another event headlined by Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia and Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware on Aug. 13 in Edgartown, per an invitation obtained by the Globe. Other Democrats nationwide are expected to visit the Vineyard in coming weeks to raise money, taking advantage of the area’s status as a center of Black political power.

Robin Leeds, a member of the campaign’s national finance committee who leads the consulting firm Winning Strategies, said that organizers had to “retool” and “transition very quickly to accommodate all of the new participation” in the Harris campaign.

“The people are clamoring — they want to be in,” said Leeds, who regularly hosts Democratic fund-raisers on the Vineyard. “Whether it’s a $25 contribution, or people who are maxing out, they see it as a way to have a seat at the table, to influence the outcome and to be part of making history … Our grassroots fund-raising has been off the charts in a way that I’ve not seen before.”

Steve Grossman, the former Democratic National Committee chair and a Massachusetts superdelegate, added that aside from raising money, the “engagement of experienced activists is at least as important a reason why they’re spending the time that they are here.”

Since replacing Biden atop the ticket, Harris has consolidated party backing, drawing endorsements from top leaders. Her campaign reported raising over $200 million and signing up more than 170,000 new volunteers as of Sunday. And the gap between her and former president Donald Trump narrowed in key battleground states, several polls showed.

Harris’s support in Massachusetts goes beyond money, as Democrats in the state rallied behind her. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey both spoke at the event in Pittsfield on Saturday, which was co-hosted by former governor Deval Patrick.

Patrick, who previously called for a “short, competitive process” to determine the nominee, said it was “impressive how quickly and enthusiastically” Democrats coalesced around Harris. Rather than simply attacking Trump, he urged Democrats to “offer a competing vision for tomorrow,” which he said he was encouraged to see from Harris on Saturday.

“Converting that energy to organization is the perennial challenge — that’s a big lift — but it’s also a very big opportunity, and I think we’re gonna get it done,” he said.

Another Massachusetts Democrat backing Harris, Governor Maura Healey, has reiterated her support for the vice president while repeatedly criticizing Trump for not committing to debate her in September.

“Kamala Harris is a person of strength, of grace, of empathy, of compassion, and yes, she is tough — which is probably why Donald Trump backed out of a debate tonight,” Healey said on an “Out for Kamala Harris” Zoom call on Thursday.

Democrats nationwide put together several such calls organizing coalitions to fund-raise, from “Win With Black Women” to “White Dudes for Harris.” Inspired by those efforts, Leslie Templeton, a Somerville resident who chairs the national Young Democrats Disability Issues Caucus, helped organize a “Disabled Voters for Kamala Harris” call.

“The goal is to engage disabled voters and the disability community to get them invigorated about the campaign, to show them that there is hope and that they can make a difference,” said Templeton, who met Harris before the Pittsfield fund-raiser.

While Massachusetts will almost certainly vote in Harris’s favor this fall, Steve Kerrigan, the state party chair, said the party plans to mobilize in other ways, including sending volunteers to more competitive states such as New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina. It has seen a 300 percent increase in donations since Harris’s entrance, he said, with 71 percent of that total coming from new donors.

With fewer than 100 days until the election, hurdles remain as Harris seeks to introduce herself to the public. Among the crowd that gathered to see Harris on Saturday were Trump supporters donning signature red “MAGA” hats and protesters against the war in Gaza. Grossman, the former party chair, said he expected Harris will also navigate thorny issues for the Democrats, such as the economy and immigration.

Harris acknowledged that reality on Saturday, telling 800 donors that “we’re the underdogs in this race.” “But,” she added, “this is a people-powered campaign, and we have momentum.”

She took shots at her likely opponent, saying that Trump had been “resorting to some wild lies about my record” and said that “some of what he and his running mate are saying, it’s just plain weird,” a recent favorite line of attack. The audience at several points throughout her speech jumped to their feet to cheer, clap, and shout a Harris refrain that has gained traction: “We are not going back.”

Shirley Edgerton, the founder of Rites of Passage and Empowerment, a mentoring program for young girls of color, praised Harris for meeting some of her program’s participants upon arriving in Massachusetts.

“To have some of our girls at the airport this morning to greet the vice president who looks like them, who’s a woman, who’s of color, who’s bringing hope and inspiration to our country? I mean, it gets no better,” said Edgerton, who wore beaded “Kamala” bracelets. “Some of us have been crying all day.”