Biden, Harris meet Indian-American entrepreneur to raise funds for 2024 election campaign

Washington: US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris over the weekend met his top 150 donors, including one Indian-American entrepreneur, to develop a successful strategy to raise funds for their 2024 re-election campaign, participants of the meeting said.

During the event, Biden highlighted the importance of donors and their contribution to preserving democracy, while lambasting former president Donald Trump-led "MAGA Republicans" and emphasising abortion rights.

Although the reception was not a fundraiser, it marked a new effort to bring in untapped donors into the fold, participants of the meeting said.

Leading Indian-American fundraiser, Ajay Jain Bhutoria, who is the Democratic Party deputy national finance chair, was among the 150 major Democratic donors to attend the meeting in Washington DC.

It is understood that the campaign has set a target of raising USD 2 billion for the 2024 re-election campaign.

The event marked the first in-person donor conference of Biden's 2024 re-election campaign, where Democratic Party officials presented their campaign strategy and began their fundraising efforts to reach the goal of USD 2 billion -- double the USD 1 billion raised during the previous election cycle.

Participants of the meeting, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that both Biden and Harris along with their strategists appeared confident of winning the 2024 election cycle based on their accomplishments so far. But they are not taking any chances, one of the participants said.

Also in attendance were Governor of California Gavin Newsom, Governor of New Jersey Phil Murphy, Governor of Maryland Wes Moore, and various members of the Congress and Senate.

During the meetings, Bhutoria praised the Biden administration's accomplishments, including groundbreaking legislations such as the Inflation Reduction Act, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the CHIPS and Science Act, the Respect for Marriage Act, and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

Bhutoria's attendance at the event and being one of the 150 people nationwide highlights the growing influence and representation of the Indian-American community in national politics, and their support for the Democratic Party and its candidates.

His role as the Democratic Party deputy national finance chair also emphasises the importance of fundraising efforts and the role of donors in shaping the future of American politics.

Bhutoria has been a long-time supporter of Biden and played a crucial role in securing his victory in the 2020 election. He raised a significant amount of money for the campaign and rallied millions of grassroots South Asian voters who proved to be the deciding factor in several battleground states.

“We have done a lot, but there's so much more to do. And with your help, I know we can do it. I really do. Just like we did in 2020, remember 2020, when everyone had written us off? But you folks -- you folks in this room, you know we could do it, and we did. You raised significant amounts of money to allow us to compete,” Biden said in an address to his donors.

“And remember 2022, the midterm elections, when we were supposed to get our clock clean and swamped? “The red wave is coming.” Give me a break. Because of your help, it never happened, and we met the moment again and a broad coalition with all of you. And we're going to do it again in 2024 together. And, folks, as we enter this reelection campaign, hear this: We wouldn't be here without you. That is not -- that's not an exaggeration. And I couldn't be more grateful,” Biden said.

Vice President Harris personally spoke with all the top donors one-on-one.

“Harris has also been out pushing the Biden agenda, having recently delivered remarks about abortion rights in a speech at Howard University. She talked about her work on abortion issues, insulin and broadband access in her remarks on Friday,” NBC News reported.