Private strategizing among Vice President Kamala Harris' past donors in the event of President Biden's potential withdrawal from the race.

• Kamala Harris allies are discussing scenarios in the event that President Biden drops out of the 2024 campaign.
• The discussions have centered on whether Vice President Harris would manage the substantial Biden-Harris campaign fund if President Biden were no longer running.
• The president has no plans to withdraw from the race, according to his team.

Sources close to Vice President Kamala Harris are privately discussing her potential candidacy if President Joe Biden decides to drop out of the presidential race, and how they can assist her, following Biden's poor debate performance on Thursday.

Some individuals who raised funds for the vice president during her unsuccessful 2020 Democratic primary campaign against Biden and other candidates have disclosed that their conversations took place over phone calls and text messages.

If Biden were to drop out of the race, would Harris control the campaign's funds managed by Biden's team?

Despite being an early favorite to replace the president, the Democratic National Convention in Chicago may still have more contenders and a messy battle for the nomination.

According to Julie Chavez Rodriguez, Biden's campaign manager, Harris would likely have access to most of the money, as the campaign began June with $91 million in cash and entered July with $240 million on hand.

If Biden drops out, there is discussion among Harris confidants about scheduling meetings with some of the biggest donors in the Democratic Party, they said.

The vice president's policy portfolio has been a topic of discussion among Harris' allies, who are encouraging other donors and party officials to consider its potential benefits to a Democratic campaign platform. The vice president's focus on reproductive rights, outreach to Black voters and marginalized communities, and her remarks in February in Germany, where she emphasized the strength of U.S. support for Ukraine in its fight against Russian invasion, have been highlighted as key areas of potential advantage.

A source with direct knowledge of the matter reveals that some of Harris' past fundraisers are sharing an old one-minute video featuring the vice president challenging former President Donald Trump's appointees while she was a U.S. senator. The video includes clips of Harris confronting the likes of former Attorneys General Bill Barr, Jeff Sessions, and Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

The advertisement highlights that Kamala Harris' willingness to confront Trump's allies demonstrates her ability to go toe-to-toe with the former president.

The political action committee "People Standing Strong" was created for Kamala Harris' presidential campaign in 2019, but it was never fully activated due to her withdrawal from the race. Despite reserving nearly $300,000 for advertising in Iowa, the ads never aired since Harris dropped out before the state's caucus.

Neither the White House spokeswoman for the Harris-Biden campaign nor the campaign representatives responded to requests for comment.

Before Thursday's debate, it was unthinkable for Democrats to consider a convention fight for the nomination, but after Biden's poor performance and failure to defend himself against Trump, the possibility of a challenge from Harris has become more plausible.

The poor debate performance of Biden has led to a shift in the mood of donors, with many privately discussing the possibility of the president stepping aside to give the party the best chance of defeating Trump in November.

The top fundraisers in California are "all just confused, scared and sad" since the debate, said a longtime strategist close to many of the donors sending around the video. "They're desperate to beat Trump."

Dmitri Mehlhorn, a longtime advisor to Democratic donors including tech investor Reid Hoffman, stated in an email on Wednesday that although he continues to support Biden, Harris would be a strong contender to defeat Trump.

"To clarify, Vice President Harris is a tough woman. A ticket with her at the top, paired with someone who complements her weaknesses (examples include Mark Kelly, Andy Beshear, Roy Cooper, Josh Shapiro, and many others), would be competitive with the other side's nominee, who is a convicted felon," wrote Mehlhorn. "We would lose Joe's powerful brand, but we would gain other advantages and still be competitive."

While Harris has remained loyal and is scheduled to have lunch with the president at the White House on Wednesday, Biden's team has stated that the president is not dropping out of the race.

According to reports by The New York Times and CNN, Biden has privately signaled to an ally that he may not be able to save his presidential campaign, despite his public pledge not to drop out.

Andrew Bates, the White House spokesman, vehemently denied the story in a social media post. However, CNBC and NBC News have not independently confirmed the conversation.

On Tuesday, in San Francisco, Harris defended the president's debate performance to a gathering of her past donors.

According to the pool report, the event took place at Susan Lowenberg's home, which was attended by past Harris donors from her time as San Francisco District Attorney.

""When we fight, we win," said Harris to the crowd."

There has been a growing chorus of party donors and a few lawmakers who question whether Biden is capable of being president for four more years and if he is not, whether it is appropriate for him to be the party's nominee in November.

On Tuesday, Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, was the first Democratic lawmaker in Congress to urge Biden to resign.

In interviews on MSNBC, Nancy Pelosi and Jim Clyburn, both longtime Biden allies, stated that it is reasonable for voters to inquire about Biden's health following his debate performance.

Pelosi stated in an interview that it is a valid question to ask, "Is this an episode or is this a condition?" and emphasized that the question should be directed towards both Biden and Trump.

The polls have had a mixed message for Biden since the debate.

In April, a CNN poll showed that Trump was ahead of Biden by six percentage points nationwide, and this remains the case according to a recent CNN poll.

A majority of those surveyed believe that someone other than Biden would have a greater chance of defeating Trump in the upcoming election.

Online betting pools predicting the Democratic presidential nominee have seen an increase in interest for Harris.

Currently, PredicIt ranks the vice president as a close second to Biden in terms of political betting.

After the debate, PredictIt put her odds of becoming the party's nominee this year ahead of Biden, surpassing even California Gov. Gavin Newsom.