(NewsNation) — The lead organizer of a pro-Kamala Harris fundraiser called “White Dudes for Harris” says the vice president’s presidential campaign has “galvanized a ton of excitement” and is attracting support from a diverse range of voters.
Ross Morales Rocketto on NewsNation’s “On Balance” described the campaign as “the fight for the non-MAGA part of the electorate.
“We had people spreading the word online on Instagram, on TikTok,” Rocketto said. “I got a bunch of Instagram messages this morning from folks who were like, ‘I wasn’t sure who I was gonna vote for.'”
Harris’ presidential campaign and her allies are making a play for white men as the campaign seeks to build a broad coalition ahead of November.
“White Dudes for Harris” raised over $4 million during a call on Monday evening, which saw over 190,000 participants.
Rocketto said the enthusiasm for Harris’ candidacy is unparalleled in recent years.
“I’ve been working in politics for 20-25 years. I haven’t seen it since 2008,” he said.
The organizer also asserted that the group had received messages from “regular working people” and individuals from various backgrounds following the event.
“We think that if white men get out there and organize on behalf of Vice President Harris, she’s got a real shot at winning,” Rocketto said.
The Monday call was put together by several Democratic organizers not affiliated with Harris’ campaign.
What are polls saying?
The effort is the latest example of a demographic-based mobilization push for Harris. However, the effort to win over white men will be difficult for Democrats as the voting bloc has moved farther into the Republican column under former President Donald Trump.
A poll conducted by the Economist and YouGov between July 21 and 23 revealed that 39% of men said they would vote for Harris, while 47% said they would vote for Trump.
A separate poll by Emerson College indicated that most male voters in key battleground states would select Trump over Harris.
Famous faces on the call included Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who are all seen as contenders to be the Democratic vice presidential pick.
Monday’s call started on a more emotional note, linking what organizers label as a loneliness epidemic among men to Trump’s ability to bring them into the conservative, Republican fold.
Republicans’ success with white men was evident in the 2016 and 2020 elections, though Biden was able to narrow the gap in 2020. According to the Pew Research Center, Trump won white men by 30 points in 2016 and by 17 points in 2020.
Since Biden withdrew from the race, passing the torch to Harris, Democrats say they have taken note of the differences between Harris’ pitch to voters and Hillary Clinton’s tone in 2016.
Fundraising groups
The political networking group “Win With Black Women” held a Zoom meeting the same night that Biden dropped out and saw its number of participants swell to more than 44,000.
After that, a “Win With Black Men” virtual fundraising event attracted more than 53,000 attendees. They heard several presentations, including by 27-year-old Democratic Rep. Maxwell Frost of Florida, who had been a leading advocate for Biden’s campaign among younger voters, and Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock.
A Zoom of “White Women for Harris” attracted more than 164,000 participants — so many that the platform struggled to meet the demand. It was headlined by the likes of singer Pink, soccer star Megan Rapinoe and actor Connie Britton.
The criticism
Trump’s campaign has also organized different groups of supporters based on their distinct backgrounds, including events in battleground states like Pennsylvania and Georgia for Black voters and “Latino Americans for Trump.”
Some Republicans have criticized Harris for her “diversity, equality and inclusion politics,” arguing that the vice president’s political career was helped by Democratic efforts to promote diversity.
That’s despite House Speaker Mike Johnson and other GOP leaders on Capitol Hill discouraging lines of criticism that they considered racist and sexist — instead urging members of the party to focus their criticisms on Harris’ political record.
NewsNation partner The Hill and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
