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Vice President Kamala Harris appears set to win the Democratic nomination for president.
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She has already secured several influential sponsors and raised record amounts, including at a recent dinner in San Francisco.
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Leading business figures, including Sheryl Sandberg and Reed Hastings, have supported Harris.
Vice President Kamala Harris appears to be the Democratic presidential candidate.
She has already received a wave of influential political endorsements, including support from President Joe Biden. Within 24 hours of Biden dropping his reelection bid, Harris had sufficient delegates secured for the nomination.
Money has also been pumped into her campaign, breaking the record for the largest single-day fundraising boost, raising $81 million at the time of writing.
Harris also hosted a fundraiser in San Francisco on Sunday that drew some big names from the business community and raised $13 million, The New York Times reported. It was also a chance for her to repair the sometimes tense relationship between the tech community and President Joe Biden.
In addition to Silicon Valley moguls, Harris has also received support from business leaders and billionaires. Here are some of those who want Harris to be president.
Sheryl Sandberg
Former Meta and Facebook executive Sheryl Sandberg endorsed Harris for president via social media in July.
Sandberg said in an Instagram post that she was happy to be able to support the vice president.
"@kamalaharris has made history before, becoming the first Black and South Asian woman to hold office, and she will do so again in November," Sandberg wrote.
"She is a capable leader, a staunch advocate for abortion rights and the strongest candidate to move our country forward," she added.
Reed Hastings
Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings is supporting Harris' presidential bid with a $7 million donation.
He told The Information it was the largest donation he had ever made to a single candidate.
Hastings did not immediately endorse Harris after Biden ended the race and backed his vice president. Shortly after Biden's announcement on Sunday, he posted on X: "Dem delegates need to pick a swing state winner."
Ron Conway
Silicon Valley "super angel" investor Ron Conway is also backing Harris' presidential bid.
In a X In a message, Conway called her "a fighter, a leader and a champion of the technology ecosystem."
"The tech world must unite to defeat Donald Trump and save our democracy by uniting behind Vice President @KamalaHarris as the Democratic nominee for president," he said.
George Soros and Alex Soros
Alex Soros, the son of the legendary investor George Soros and head of Soros Fund Management, has also called on Democrats to rally behind Harris.
"It's time for us all to unite around Kamala Harris and defeat Donald Trump," he posted in July on X. "She is the best and most qualified candidate we have. Long live the American Dream!"
A spokesman for George Soros told The Wall Street Journal that he also supported Harris.
Melinda French Gates
Melinda French Gates, a billionaire philanthropist and ex-wife of Bill Gates, publicly endorsed Harris in late July.
She said in a X message: "I am proud to support Vice President Harris. During her years in the White House, she has proven that she knows how to lead through crises while pushing for the change we need."
Reid Hoffman
LinkedIn co-founder and PayPal mafia member Reid Hoffman has joined the group of pro-Harris business leaders.
In a post on X, he said: "The Biden-Harris administration has put this country on the right track. It's time for us to unite. I wholeheartedly support Kamala Harris and her candidacy for President of the United States as we fight for democracy in November."
Hoffman also plans to host or co-host a fundraiser for Harris "as early as September," The Information reported, citing a person close to him.
He also chaired Harris' fundraising event in San Francisco on Sunday, the NYT reported.
Barack and Michelle Obama
In late July, Barack Obama officially endorsed Harris in a message.
The former president and his wife held off on endorsing Harris for a while, while many other prominent Democrats did.
In a message shared on social media, Obama said: "Earlier this week, Michelle and I called our friend Kamala Harris. We told her that we think she will be a fantastic president of the United States and that she has our full support. At this critical moment for our country, we are going to do everything we can to ensure that she wins in November. We hope you will join us."
After leaving the White House, the Obamas made smart moves in the media world by starting their own company. They proved their business credentials by launching a lucrative production deal with Netflix and securing a podcast deal with Audible with Amazon Support.
The duo also make money from their bestsellers, which has significantly increased their net worth.
Tom Steyer
Billionaire climate investor and activist Tom Steyer also publicly endorsed Harris in late July.
In an X post, Steyer wrote: "I have known Vice President Harris for more than 15 years and have watched her defend the rule of law, advance true freedom, and achieve hard-fought results."
2024 is a choice between leading the new climate economy or giving up a generation's economic opportunity to China. We must choose progress and American prosperity. @KamalaHarris is ready to win and lead from day one. photo.twitter.com/9f3xnjO6gq
- Tom Steyer (@TomSteyer) July 22, 2024
John Doerr
John Doerr, tech investor and chairman of venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins, co-chaired Harris' Silicon Valley fundraiser on Sunday.
Doerr, an early supporter of Harris, has also backed several of her previous campaigns, raising money to support her presidential bid ahead of the 2020 election, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Jeffrey Katzenberg
Jeffrey Katzenberg, former president of Walt Disney Studios, was also seen at the fundraiser in San Francisco on Sunday. The media executive, who served as a national co-chair for Biden's campaign, praised Biden for his "selfless" decision to drop out of the presidential race and endorsed Harris in an op-ed in The New York Times.
"She has been underestimated time and time again," Katzenberg wrote. "She has triumphed time and time again."
"The vice president has won almost every election she's ever run in. She's won her whole life," he added. "I can no longer trust that this November will be any different."
Steve Spinner
Investor Steve Spinner, who previously fundraised for former President Barack Obama's 2008 campaign, also endorsed Harris in an open letter, along with more than 350 other former national security leaders.
At Harris' fundraising event on Sunday, Spinner said the positive reception Harris received reminded him of Obama's 2007 financial launch event, The New York Times reported.
"There was a lot of love in that room," he is reported to have said.
Read the original article on Business Insider
