Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee former Vice President Joe Biden delivers a speech at the William Hicks Anderson Community Center, on July 28, 2020 in Wilmington, Delaware.
Mark Makela | Getty Images
Joe Biden’s bundlers are planning to host a slew of virtual fundraisers for him and the Democratic National Committee, just after he announces his running mate, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter.
Some of the expected co-hosts who are privately being mentioned are Hollywood movie executive Jeffrey Katzenberg, Wall Street executive Jim Chanos, Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., Andrew Hauptman, the co-founder of investment firm Andell Inc. and movie star George Clooney, according to the people.
The events have yet to be finalized. There are many others that are also in the mix to host Biden fundraisers, including other lawmakers and business leaders. The people declined to be named as the events have yet to be made public.
The events will be a showcase for Biden’s running mate, whom he is expected to choose within the next couple weeks. Many of these fundraisers would feature both Biden and his VP choice. But some gatherings will allow his pick to appear solo, giving her a chance to connect with big money donors.
Most of the proceeds for these fundraisers will go to the Biden Victory Fund, a joint fundraising committee between Biden, the DNC and a variety of state parties.
A spokesman for Biden did not return a request for comment.
The fundraising developments come with three months left until the general election.
Biden is ahead of President Donald Trump in the polls, with a Real Clear Politics polling average showing the former vice president ahead by just over seven points.
Biden and the DNC are within striking distance of matching the president’s long-established campaign war chest, after they out raised Trump’s team in the second quarter. Biden is catching up to Trump’s cash on hand advantage.
There’s also a campaign being waged behind the scenes to stop Sen. Kamala Harris from becoming Biden’s running mate. As CNBC reported, a group of Biden’s closest allies have been pushing members of the VP select committee to not pick Harris, citing at times what they deem as too much ambition, and instead look to alternatives such as Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., former national security advisor Susan Rice, and Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill.
Harris continues to lead the rest of the field in the betting markets, according to Predict It. Trailing her is Rice, Duckworth, Demings and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.
Biden’s team appeared to fire back against Harris’ critics in a tweet from their campaign manager, Jen O’Malley Dillon.
