WASHINGTON — Last week, Vice President Kamala Harris garnered $82 million during the Democratic National Convention held in Chicago, bringing her total fundraising to $540 million for her presidential campaign since she officially announced her candidacy, according to her campaign’s statement on Sunday.

According to Harris’s campaign chair, Jen O’Malley Dillon, the hour following her speech at the convention was the most successful fundraising period of the campaign so far, with one-third of the donations coming from individuals contributing for the first time.

Notably, of the first-time donors, two-thirds were women, and the most common professions among these donors included teachers and nurses, as indicated by the campaign.

The $540 million raised since President Joe Biden exited the race on July 21 marks the highest amount ever collected by a presidential campaign in a single month, as stated by O’Malley Dillon. This total encompasses contributions collected by the Democratic National Committee and various joint fundraising committees in addition to Harris’s primary campaign efforts.

Joint fundraising committees are partnered Super PACs that enable supporters to donate beyond the federal limits for direct contributions to the campaign.

O’Malley Dillon noted, “As we approach Labor Day, our campaign is leveraging this support and enthusiasm to keep our momentum going.”

In terms of fundraising, Harris outperformed former President Donald Trump in July. Her main fundraising committee reported last week a total of $204 million raised during that month, nearly quadrupling Trump’s $48 million. This significant total included funds collected following a surge of support from Democrats shortly after she launched her campaign.

When including contributions from allied fundraising committees, Harris amassed $310 million in July, in stark contrast to Trump and his supporters who combined for $138 million.

Since beginning her campaign, Harris has overtaken Trump in several battleground state polls, though the competition remains close and the race is tightly contested.

The first debate between Harris and Trump is scheduled to air on ABC on September 10 in Philadelphia.

Contributing: Reuters. Reach Joey Garrison on X, formerly Twitter, @joeygarrison.