With the favor of the Democratic establishment behind her, Kamala Harris has already earned comparisons to Hillary Clinton ahead of 2020. But the similarities are more than superficial.
Harris is tapping the same set of donors and staffers for her campaign that built the Clinton machine in 2016, according to a report from the Washington Examiner. While some of her competitors swear off big money, the California Democrat is going off the Clinton playbook, mingling with Hollywood elites and Hamptons socialites.
Harris taps Clinton donor network
Harris was declared a frontrunner in the race early on, as her establishment liberal politics prompted immediate comparisons with Clinton. But similarities between Harris and Clinton go beyond a tough on crime record or a penchant for identity politics.
Harris really is basking in the favor of the Democratic establishment, and her fundraising record shows it. While progressive competitors like Sens. Elizabeth Warren (MA) and Bernie Sanders (VT) have rejected big donors, Harris is plugging right into the Clinton donor network and blowing past other Democrats seeking Clinton money, like Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (NY) and Amy Klobuchar (MN).
Clinton insiders say it’s no accident that Clinton’s donor class is flocking to the California Democrat.
“Similarly to how Obama staffers went to Clinton in 2016, you’re seeing a lot of that with Kamala’s campaign. With no [Joe] Biden or [former Virginia Gov. Terry] McAullife in the race, a lot of Clinton donors are coming her way,” a Clinton staffer told the Examiner.
Harris has been on a roll locking down big Clinton donors in California and Florida. Hollywood director and Clinton backer J.J. Abrams hosted a $2,800-per-person fundraising dinner for Harris in March that drew prominent Clinton consultants and Hollywood elites who once supported the failed 2016 candidate.
Harris also secured the support of Clinton megadonor Susie Tompkins Buell, who called Harris “very engaging,” and Amy Rhao, who helped secure donors for Clinton. She also traveled to Florida in March to meet with Democratic donor Alex Heckler for a fundraiser.
The Hillary Clinton of 2020
Crushed by Clinton’s defeat in 2016, Clinton’s donor network took to Harris rather quickly as the former first-lady-turned-secretary-of-State’s spiritual successor. Harris attracted the interest of the Clinton donor class early on as she mingled with top fundraisers in the Hamptons in the summer of 2017, not long after she entered the Senate.
Other signs of Harris’ convergence with team Clinton could be seen early on in her Senate term, as she tapped into Clinton’s campaign staff to build her Senate staff, and eventually her own campaign staff. Former Clinton staffers who have joined Harris’ campaign include Marc Elias, who will serve as Harris’ general counsel, and Lily Adams, Harris’ communications director.
Harris’ sister Maya, who was a senior adviser to Clinton in 2015, will chair the campaign. Harris also hired Averell “Ace” Smith, a long-time Democratic strategist who worked on Bill Clinton’s 1992 campaign and his wife’s failed 2008 run.
Leading the pack
The support Harris enjoys from Clinton’s people doesn’t seem coincidental. Her emphasis on identity politics places her closer to the establishment than an economic populist like Bernie Sanders, who places more of an emphasis on traditional left-wing economics than diversity.
Moreover, Harris’ center-left politics and criminal justice record as district attorney and attorney general in California have attracted criticism from progressives on the far left.
Despite swearing off big money, Sen. Sanders is leading the pack with more than $18 million raised — but the support of the Clinton donor machine means Harris, who has so far netted some $12 million, will have financial lasting power. Progressive Beto O’Rourke has also raised an impressive sum of more than $9 million from small donors.
Harris has generally polled behind Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden. With Biden’s candidacy up in the air over recent allegations of inappropriate conduct, Harris could soon claim the mantle of establishment favorite.
So is Harris the Clinton of 2020? Her donors seem to think so.
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