VP Harris hits fundraising trail amid ongoing calls for Biden to leave race

By Trevor Hunnicutt and Jeff Mason

PROVINCETOWN, Massachusetts/REHOBOTH BEACH, Delaware (Reuters) -U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris pressed the case for the re-election of President Joe Biden at a fundraiser in Massachusetts on Saturday despite continued pressure from fellow Democrats and big-money donors seeking an end to his bruised campaign.

"We are going to win this election," Harris said. "It's not going to be easy but we are a group of people that understand anything worthwhile takes hard work."

While she alluded to the turmoil that has engulfed Biden's candidacy since a poor debate performance last month, Harris did not refer to calls for Biden to drop out of the 2024 race.

The fundraiser drew 1,000 people and raised more than $2 million, according to its host, celebrity wedding planner Bryan Rafanelli. Celebrities and singers including Jennifer Coolidge, Billy Porter and Darren Criss were set to attend.

Biden and top aides on Friday vowed to continue with his presidential campaign against Republican candidate Donald Trump, even as major donors signaled they were unwilling to open their checkbooks unless the 81-year-old president steps aside.

The crisis of confidence in Biden's ability to win the Nov. 5 election has placed a huge spotlight on Harris, widely believed to be the most likely replacement if he steps down.

Harris fundraising events have been getting added interest from donors who want to signal they are willing to coalesce around her potential bid for the White House, according to three Democratic fundraisers.

On Saturday in Provincetown, Harris denounced the extremism and intolerance that she said marked Trump's vision for America.

"Right now in our country those freedoms are under full-on attack," she said. "White supremacists have showed up at pride festivals armed with assault weapons. ... We see extremists fan the flames of hate and homophobia for political gain."

"Go get him Kamala!" a person shouted, drawing a wave of cheers.

As speculation has grown that Harris might soon replace Biden as the Democratic Party's candidate, she has offered her full support for him staying in the race.

"He's fighting for the American people," she said on Saturday.

Thirty-five congressional Democrats, representing more than 10% of the party's members in Congress, have now publicly called on Biden, who is isolating at his Delaware home with COVID-19, to drop out following the June 27 debate against Trump.

The debate raised serious concerns inside the party over Biden's ability to win the election or carry out his duties for another four years.

Biden's doctor said on Saturday the president still has mild COVID-19 symptoms but is improving steadily.

Biden's campaign hoped to raise some $50 million in big-dollar donations in July for the Biden Victory Fund but was on track for less than half that figure as of Friday, according to two sources familiar with the fundraising efforts.

The campaign called reports of a July fundraising slump overstated, noting that it anticipated a drop-off in large donations due to vacations. It said the campaign still has 10 fundraisers on the schedule this month.

(Reporting by Jarrett Renshaw; Editing by Paul Simao and Sandra Maler)