(Bloomberg) -- Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz warned donors that the 2024 race against Donald Trump is extremely tight, and that the campaign needs money to reach voters in key swing states.
“This election is going to be very, very close, within the margin of error,” Walz said Tuesday at a campaign fundraiser in Hunts Point, Washington, a wealthy waterfront community near Seattle.
“I know I’m preaching to the choir, but our recital is in 28 days and we need to sing and we need to sing loudly,” he added. “The help you give us here will let us invest in those battleground states.”
A few dozen people attended the fundraiser, which listed Jim Sinegal, the co-founder of Costco Wholesale Corp., and his wife Janet, along with Accolade Inc. CEO Raj Singh, among the hosts. Tickets ran as high as $250,000, which included a photo with Walz. Pete Carroll, the former Seattle Seahawks head coach, was among those in attendance.
Walz, in a blazer and no tie, gave his remarks at a podium in the corner of the Sinegals’ high-ceilinged living room with windows overlooking Lake Washington.
Tuesday’s event is the latest in a fundraising blitz for Harris campaign surrogates as they fan out across the country to ask wealthy donors to write a final check to fund the Democratic ticket.
Recent polls have shown Harris and Trump running neck-and-neck in key battleground states. Trump has narrow leads in Georgia, North Carolina and Arizona, while Harris is ahead in Michigan, Wisconsin and Nevada, according to the RealClearPolitics polling average. The candidates are tied in Pennsylvania.
Cellist Yo-Yo Ma, musician Jon Bon Jovi, DJ and record producer D-Nice, chef and restaurateur Alice Waters and former Vice President Al Gore are also among the notable names slated to help Harris raise money this month. Last month, Harris raised about $55 million in a pair of California events that featured performances by Alanis Morissette and Halle Bailey and included celebrity attendees Sterling K. Brown, Demi Lovato and Stevie Wonder.
The Harris campaign has amassed a cash lead over Trump. The vice president began September with $404 million in the bank, compared to $295 million for Trump, according to Federal Election Commission filings. The Trump campaign said it raised $160 million in September, and spent more than it raised for a second month in a row. The Harris team has not yet announced their fundraising totals for last month.
The big financial advantage has allowed Harris to spend an average of about $5 million more a day than Trump’s campaign, which has outsourced its ground game and much of its air game to super political action committees and other groups in an effort to keep up.
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