Trump’s LA fundraiser shows, once again, power of Southern California pocketbooks

On Thursday evening former president Donald Trump shoveled campaign cash in Los Angeles as he headlined the most recent in a long slew of local presidential fundraisers.

Both Los Angeles and Orange County are key targets for the Republican and Democratic campaigns, which frequently swoop into town to collect money they can take to swing states to help influence voters.

Since February, there have been more than a dozen campaign fundraisers in the two counties headlined by some of the biggest names in presidential politics — President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump, Vice President Kamala Harris, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, first lady Jill Biden and second gentleman Doug Emhoff.

“Like all good shoppers, sometimes you’ve got to go to the ATM more than once and if you’re a good candidate running for president, you’ve come to L.A., which is the nation’s ATM, more than once,” said Democratic strategist Michael Trujillo.

So far this election cycle, individual California donors have contributed more than $88 million to the Harris campaign and over $32 million to the Trump campaign, according to federal election committee data. In L.A. County, Harris has raked in over $22 million and Trump over $6 million.

This data reflects individual donations up to the $3,300 contribution limit and does not reflect the many millions that Southern California donors have also given to political action committees.

And while the Golden State is a Democratic stronghold, it is still home to plenty of wealthy Republican donors who are more than happy to open their homes, and pocketbooks, to representatives of the Trump-Vance campaign.

“As blue as California is, don’t forget there are over 1 million Republicans in Los Angeles County,” said Tim O’Reilly, chairman of the Republican Party of Los Angeles County. “There’s a very strong conservative influence here.”

Thus far, Trump has collected around $6 million in Orange County and Harris has collected around $4 million.

Last week Vance spoke at fundraisers in San Diego County and Los Angeles. In July, Trump made a fundraising swing through Beverly Hills and Newport Beach and is back in town this week for more.

“Even though California is a foregone conclusion, we are the ATM for national campaigns,” said Matt Jarvis, an associate professor of political science at Cal State Fullerton. “And Orange County, despite being much more purple than it used to be, is still a place where Republicans come to raise money. You’ve still got that Orange County Republicanism here.”

Indeed, Newport Beach’s 92660 ZIP Code is one of the biggest funders of the Trump campaign out of any ZIP in the nation. Individuals residing in 92660 have contributed more than $415,000 to Trump’s 2024 campaign, according to Federal Election Commission data through July 31.

In another key fundraising locale, Beverly Hills, the Trump campaign has received $354,525 in contributions through July 31. In addition, Beverly Hills resident and real estate billionaire Geoffrey Palmer has donated more than $3 million to PACs affiliated with the Trump campaign this year.

Beverly Hills is also an important money maker for the Harris campaign, which has collected over $586,700 in individual campaign contributions from the city’s residents this election cycle.

Even more valuable, though, is the nearby community of Brentwood where Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff own a home. Harris spoke at Brentwood campaign fundraisers in July and November 2023.

As of July 31, the residents in the neighborhood’s 90049 ZIP had contributed more than $700,000 to her campaign.

On a national scale, Harris holds the lead in fundraising.

The Harris campaign and Democratic National Committee reported raising a combined $361 million in August, leaving Harris with $404 million cash on hand at the start of September.

Trump’s campaign team reported that it and the Republican Party raised $130 million in August and had $295 million cash on hand at the beginning of the month.

Despite Harris’s cash advantage, the polls still show a too-close-to-call race.

As of Sept. 11, Harris held a 2.8-point lead over Trump in the latest average of national polls, collated by FiveThirtyEight. When it comes to the seven key swing states, Harris holds the edge in three states, Trump leads in one, and the pair are practically tied in three states, according to the recent New York Times/Siena College polling.